Heart Of A Puppeteer
by FagglesMcGee
Summary: 12 years after being taken in by Konohagakure's Shizune, Yukine Ayuzawa has become a master tracker who has caught the eye of the Akatsuki. Wanting control of that tracking power for their own uses, they attempt to kidnap her. However, it seems that their target is a lot more difficult to catch than first anticipated. Have the Akatsuki finally bit off more than they can chew?
1. Introductions of a Young Getsugakure Nin

**HOAP**

**~ 1 ~**

Yukine picked her way along the dusty dirt-worn path that lead to the Konoha gates. No, Konohagakure was _not_ her home-town. Yukine had been born in Getsugakure, the Village hidden beneath the moon. Her village had been attacked by their long-time rivals, Hoshigakure. Yukine's village was completely eradicated of all human life, save for her of course about 12 years ago. Why did she survive? No special reason. Her mother had just taken careful measures to hide her daughter safely within the woods as Hoshi was spotted marching their way toward the village.

_"Hishiro! We have to hide her!" Satomi called to her husband. He nodded to her, kissing her roughly on the lips; their eyes meeting for what they knew would be the very last time. Satomi picked up her tiny daughter and ran as fast as she could toward the nearby woods. She tripped, the young girl of five years spilling out of her arms and scraping her knee. The little child let out a silent wail that was quickly hushed by her mother with a glare. "Come now, Yuu-chan." She said as she set her in a thick set of bushes. tears were in her eyes. "Yuu-chan," she began. "I will not be coming back for you. You must understand that. You are not to leave this bush for any reason until the village is absolutely silent." She paused, her daughter staring up at her with round, lavender eyes. The little girl nodded. But just as Satomi was about to leave her daughter, she felt a tug at her leg. She looked down to see her daughters eyes filled with tears. "I love you momma." was the last thing she heard as she tore away from her daughters grip and began to run away. "I love you too...Yuu-chan...Happy Birthday.." she whispered under her breath, whiping away the hot tears streaming down her face. Satomi smiled as she thrust herself into battle._

_ ...Hoshigakure had destroyed Getsugakure out of pure jealousy that day. And that day is what sealed their fate.  
_

Yukine watched the explosions from the distance, the occasional scream piercing her small ears. But eventually, Silence gripped the village, just as her mother had told her it would. However, Was it really safe to venture from this haven..? What had become of her mother and father...? Surely they had escaped, they were elite ninja. They _couldn't _die. It was _impossible._ Right? She couldn't have been more wrong. Yukine had been left in the bush for 3 consecutive days before the village finally let silence devour it. Slowly, the young child ventured from her safe haven and picked her way back into the village. Her eyes were met with sight so gruesome, even the most elite ninja would struggle to retain their vomit. Blood _drenched_ the ground. Bodies were littered everywhere from both sides. Yukine swallowed hard, fighting the tears. "I have to find momma and papa..." She muttered to herself, stepping around or over any body blocking her path until finally, she tripped on one. She landed face first in a thick pool of blood. Her eyes went wide as she let out a scream, standing back up and stumbling backward. She shook her head, little droplets of the scarlet liquid flying from her cheeks as she began to run.

She ran as fast as she could toward her home. Half-way there Yukine stopped dead in her tracks. Tears sprang from her eyes immediately. "Mama...? Papa...?" She half-screamed. She ran to their sides, kneeling beside them. "Mama, mama! Wake up Mama! Papa! Why aren't you waking up?! Please! Wake up, please!" She screamed as loud as possible, not caring if anyone heard. "MAMAAAAA! PAPAAA! WAKE UP-" her voice cracked and Yukine finally spotted it. Her father's throat had been slit open; her mother's stomach was gouged and half-gutted with various ninja weaponry and the like, blood spilling from the hole in the brown headed womans' middle. Yukine covered her mouth with her hands to stifle a screech as tears streamed from her eyes. And suddenly, it became too much for her. _"The Star ninja did this to you..."_ A dark voice growled from deep within her thoughts. "W-What...?" _"You heard me, brat. Those ninja did this to your loved ones."_ In her minds eye she could see a sneering eye as the voice spoke. "What are...Who are...you...?" She muttered, feeling detached. _"That is not important...However, look at your poor family. They -everyone here- died because of those jealous ninja, you know that? And you, you are the only survivor of this village..." _A smirk. _"It is your job now, little girl, to inflict the pain of revenge upon them."_ He said, his vicious teeth showing from within her minds eye.

_"But you are much too weak for now, but your chance will come...I assure you..."_ And then the voice and the image began to fade. "Wait...! Don't leave me alone!" Yukine called out desperately, clutching her heart. Silent tears streamed down her cheeks and her eyes caught sight of something gleaming in the sun. Her mothers Hetai Ate hung loosely around her neck. Yukine leaned over and gently untied the scuffed, bloody band and held it closely. Yukine sat in the village for god knows how long, a pulsating headache from crying and hunger nagging at her with equal force. "Food..." She remembered. She was alone in this village, and it was now her job to feed herself. Although, truth be told she didn't want to eat, she wanted to die along with her village. But she couldn't, she had to live for the sake of the memory...

About 2 weeks later, Yukine was found half-starved, and clutching her mothers hetai ate to her chest by Konoha ninja passing through, however she ran away from them and was taken in by Shizune and Tsunade, the current Hokage of the leaf village.

* * *

Upon arrival Yukine made her way silently toward the Hokages office, she had just finished another mission and needed to give Tsunade a full report. One thing Yukine found strange was that she had been in the village since the age of 5, and she was now 16, and yet she had never been assigned an official team. She was always sent as a stand-in or an extra with other teams. She sighed and brushed it off as she entered Tsunade's office. "Tsunade-sama, I have completed my mission." Yukine said as she stood before the blonde woman. Tsunade nodded, her eyes never breaking contact with Yukine's. "Wonderful, the man was a nuisance anyways. His spy work was shabby." Tsunade commented. Yukine nodded. Her mission had been to assinate a spy that was hiding within the surrounding forests of Konoha. "Any useful information?" She asked after a short silence. "Not really, in all honesty, he really sucked at his job. I think we did whomever sent that spy a _huge_ favor." She surpressed a soft chuckle. Tsunade smirked at that comment. "Well, anyways, I know you just got back and all Yukine-san, but I have another mission for you. It's a bit low rank, but I think it'd be nice for you to unwind a little bit." She said. Yukine raised an eyebrow.

"One of the Genin lost their cat, and are having a horrible time catching her." Tsunade said with a sigh. "I see." Yukine said softly, her interest dwindling. "And you're an amazing tracker, so this shouldn't be a problem for you." Tsunade said, pausing to dig in her desk. "Right?" She added, pushing a picture to the edge of her desk. Yukine stepped forward, glancing at it. It was a picture of said cat sitting on the pavement, mid-meow. "Her name is Na-chan." Tsunade said. "Alright then. I guess I'll see you in a bit." Yukine said with a sigh as she pocketed the picture and made her way out of the room. "Good-bye Yukine-san." She said. She and Tsunade shared a strange bond considering Shizune had been the one to actually _raise _Yukine. It was a formal-friendship if you will. Not too 'How-do-you-do' but not too comfortable either. But, Yukine was formal toward everyone. Well, everyone aside from Shizune and Hinata. Hinata was her best friend, and Shizune was her adoptive mother.

Yukine made her way out of the village and began hopping from tree to tree in search of the small cat. Tracking things was one thing Yukine never failed at, which made her proud. "Na-chan, Na-chan, Come out kitty, kitty!" She called into the forest, searching for a pick-up trail to start following. "Hmmm. Oh there's one!" She squeaked to herself, lowering her steps to a lower set of branches as she began following the faint trail. After following the trail a short distance, Yukine noticed the trail abruptly stopped a small distance ahead. "What's this...?" She wondered aloud as she neared the said area. "Well, what the hell? Cat's can't disappear randomly, unless their summons!" She bit out, frustrated. Yukine was known for her short temper. Suddenly, Yukine was startled by a hissing sound. Startled, she shot up the tree only to meet the gaze of a frightened grey-furred feline. "Na-chan!" Yukine nearly screamed in delight, temporarily loosing balance as she stood upside down on a limb. "Hunters trap caught you, aye?" She joked as she began cutting at the ropes. She sighed and pulled herself right-side up onto the branch. "That's some thick-bum rope..." She muttered in frustration after about five minutes of endless cutting. She ran a hand carelessly through her hair. "Ooh...What to do, what to do..." She mumbled softly. Suddenly, the cat began hissing and clawing at the ropes frantically, it's hair standing on end. "What is it, Na-chan? Hunters?" Yukine inquired, peering down curiously at the fussing cat. The cat looked at her and bared it's teeth, flicking it's tail to and fro in annoyance.

"Jeez cat! There's nothing around here! No-thing!" Yukine growled in exasperation, gesturing to the forest. But suddenly, the cats eyes were fixed behind her. Yukine swallowed hard as she finally realized there was chakra behind her. She turned around, figuring it was the hunters. But even then, she'd have to be careful. Hunters around here weren't exactly friendly. "Hey you hunters, you happened to catch my cat in your trap, and I can't seem to get her out, would you mind cutting her loose?" She asked as her eyes met one swirly mask with a single eye hole and a Giant venus fly-trap that housed a black and white face with golden orbs glowing within it. Both wore Black cloaks with red clouds stitched into them. "Well, uh. Hello there." She gave an awkward wave. "I'm guessing you're not hunters then...?" She added, trailing off awkwardly. Neither of the men said anything. "Zetsu-sama," The masked boy whispered, glancing almost nervously at his partner. "Is this the girl?" He asked. The man with the Venus Flytrap glared down at her. She was significantly smaller than he was. "Yes Tobi, she is." Two voices answered. Yukine raised an eyebrow. _"Two...voices...? What the hell is going on here...?"_ She thought to herself.

Suddenly, the bi-coloured man grabbed her unforgivingly tight by the waist. "HEY YOU! NOT ON THE FIRST DATE!" She snapped kicking him in the stomach as hard as she could. "Sorry, I'm not that kind of girl!" She said as she darted away. The man let out a growl and soon the chase had begun. "I'll come back for you Na-chan!" She called to the abandoned cat that still hung helplessly in the trap. Yukine was well ahead of them now. That is until a hand surfaced from the ground and grabbed her leg, tossing her carelessly into the air as the rest of the plant man resurfaced from the ground and recaught her by the leg once more, effortlessly slamming her into a nearby tree, cracking it. "IEEE!" She cried out in pain as the wind was knocked from her lungs. Yukine quickly stood back up though, much to the two mens' surprise. Zetsu sighed and sprinted toward her, moving to jab her with a kunai to the leg. "Disapation no Jutsu: Disappearing act technique!" She called out, the handsigns already performed ahead of time as she disappeared in a thin cloud of smoke, and reappeared in a tree that sat directly above them.

They searched the surrounding area all around with their eyes, only to finally come across Yukine perched proudly on a branch of a high tree, just above them. She was sneering at them. "Zetsu-sama, don't let her escape!" Tobi called, pointing at Yukine accusingly. Soon the chase was on once more and the three were racing through the trees. Yukine in first with Tobi in second and Zetsu on his heels. "Dammit! I don't know who you are, but you _must _have the wrong girl, boys!" She called helplessly over her shoulder, flinging a Kunai behind her along with her words. The two easily dodged it, speeding up in the process. Soon, Yukine passed the place where the cat had been hauled up. It was gone. _"Must've squeezed through one of the holes I made in the rope," _She thought briefly, adjusting her speed as the tree type changed to a rougher, stockier one.

Suddenly, not watching where she was going, Yukine slammed face-against-face with somebody, sending both of them tumbling from the trees and toward the ground in a storm of whirling leaves and the occasional nut and twig. "Jeez lady!" A familiar yet tantalizingly annoying voice grumbled. She looked at him, rubbing her head where she had clashed with a branch in the fall. Suddenly, she remembered why she had been running. "Crap! Naruto, come on! We need to go!" She shouted in his ear as she grabbed his hand, quickly bolting through the forest at full speed. "Yukine! What the hell are you doing?! Let me go-YUKINE!" Naruto shouted. "Shut the hell up and run, Naruto! If you don't hurry they'll catch us!" She shouted back as she reached the end of the forest and shot out, not stopping her run fast enough as she slammed Naruto into the gate's walls with a satisfying "SMACK!" whilw she skidded to a hault on her knees. "Oh god...my head..." Naruto groaned as he wearily shook his head and leaned against the wall, still attempting to recover from impact."Damn, What's your deal Yukine?" He growled to the brown headed ninja as she pulled her legs out from under her, revealing bruised and bloody scrapes. "Some pervert's in red and black cloaks tried to kidnap me." She said rubbing her knee's and wincing as she did so. Naruto stared at her in shock. "Red and black cloaks?" He said, his eye's wide as he crawled over to her. "Kidnapping you?!" He gasped. Yukine looked at him curiously. "Yeah, ring any bells?" She asked.

"Akatsuki..." Naruto whispered, a grim look taking hold of his clear blue eyes. "Akachu-wha?" Yukine sputtered, failing at pronouncing the name terribly. "The Akatsuki. They're the evil organization that took Sasuke away. Orochimaru was in that group." Naruto growled, his eyes distant. "Oh.." Yukine trailed off. She knew that anything concerning the Uchiha boy was a touchy subject for him. "We need to tell Tsunade-baachan." Naruto said, his voice rough as he helped Yukine to stand. "I'm not losing another friend to those bastards." He whispered to himself, unaware that she had heard his words as he grasped her arm and lead her away. Yukine glanced one last time at the forest behind her. And for a brief moment, she could have sworn she'd seen an Orange swirly mask poke out from the depths of the forest to watch her departure.


	2. A Mission Gone Wrong

**HOAP**

**~ 2 ~**

Light streamed through Yukine's small bedroom window, filtering light throughout the room as she opened her eyes and looked around, snug under her many warm blankets. "Hauuu..." She yawned rolling over sleepily. She grumbled, complaining at the sun for coming up so early. Shortly after a few minutes of grumbling and complaining Yukine rolled out of bed and hit the floor with a soft 'Clank!', she sat up, her hair in a mess and falling around her shoulders as she sat on the floor rubbing at her eyes. "Stupid sun...waking me up so darn early..." She grumbled once more, glancing briefly at the black digital alarm clock by her bedside. "7 O'clock...in the morning..." She growled, staggering to her feet and stumbling into the kitchen, remembering she was confined the village until further notice on the 'Akatsuki' and their advances on any future plans to kidnap her. _"Those stupid idiots!"_ She snapped inside her head as she began to wake up. _"If it wasn't for those assholes I'd be out on a mission right now running through the forest or something! But no! I'm stuck running Village Errands or sitting around bored helping future ninja brats train!"_ Yukine ranted angrily inside her head as she put some toast in the toaster and began cooking some bacon and eggs for her breakfast, immediately regretting her comment about the 'future ninja brats'. After she finished cooking and sat down to eat feeling calmer after venting to herself a bit. "Thanks for the food." She said to herself as she began to eat.

Once Yukine finished eating she made her way to the Academy grounds. She was supposed to teach a training lesson to some of the kids today because their usual sensei was on a mission. Upon reaching the training ground she noticed the kids where in a major chaos. "Sit down you kids! Calm down!" She said quickly trying to calm the crowd. "All you kids! Sit down or I swear to god I'll make you sit in awkward silence for the rest of the day!" She finally shouted, causing a silent hush to fall over the crowd of little kids as they fell into their seats. "Very good." She smiled pleasantly. They stared blankly at her. "Alright kids, let's get started on today's lesson then, shall we?" Yukine asked with a polite fake smile plastered on her face. They nodded submissively. Yukine wasn't very good with children, but a lot of them seemed to be good with her. "So, today's lesson is going to be coming from a Fable." She motioned to the scrolls to the side. "You will read this in groups of two, or alone if you wish and we will discuss the story in 15 minutes or so." She said. The children gave a curt nod. "Now, go retrieve a scroll—one per pair—need I remind you, and read." She instructed. Yukine glanced at the clock before pulling out her latest Horror novel and kicking back in her chair. She had been condemned to doing the same thing for the past month now since those two Akatsuki had attempted to kidnap her. She taught kids, ran errands, worked odd-jobs in shops, or just sat in her cottage staring at the wall like an idiot.

She heaved a sigh and glanced up from her book, her eyes scanning the children expertly to make sure that they were tending to their work. She smiled and carried on with class. However a short while later Yukine was called away from her class by Iruka. "Tsunade is waiting for you in her office, Yukine, I'll watch your class while you go see her." The Konoha nin informed. Yukine bowed, wondering what the woman could want with her as she made her way toward the Hokage's building, passing Shizune. "Tsunade-sama send you out another errand, Shizu-chan?" Yukine asked the woman holding the squealing pig. She nodded. "Yeah, I take it she wants to see you?" Yukine nodded. "Well, maybe tomorrow you can come by the office again, and we can have some us time. It's been awhile since we last sat down and talked together, Foster-mother to child." She gave a smile. Yukine nodded and flashed her a grin. "Oh yes." And with a small wave, they went on their ways. Shizune never said she was Yukine's mother because she knew she could never replace Yukine's real mother. So, the two settled for 'Foster-ma' or, as Yukine called her, Shizu-chan.

"Yes, Tsunade-sama?" Yukine asked as she closed the door behind her. "You're on full-on lock down, Yukine." Tsunade got straight to business, even dropping the honorifics. "Wha-What?! Why!?" She asked, startled. "Team seven brought back some interesting news about something—or someone the Akatsuki was looking for." Tsunade began. "They want you, because you can track. One of the best around, actually. But they seem to have reason to believe that you can track down something they want, what that something is, we aren't sure of, but whatever it is we intend to keep you away from it to the best of our abilities." Tsunade said stoically. Yukine sighed. "Those stupid faggots...This is all their fault!" She yelled out, losing her composure briefly. Tsunade watched the girl in silence. "You know, most people would be upset at the Hokage, rather than the 'faggots'." She remarked, amusement in her tone. She was obviously trying to make light of the situation. "Then I guess I'm not most then." Yukine grumbled, not really in the mood to cooperate.

"Look, Yukine-san. We'll do everything in our power to keep you safe." Tsunade said, leaning over her desk, her hands gated. "I understand..." Yukine whispered. "I'll be leaving now..." She replied, hastily leaving the room. Her class was probably over and dismissed by now, so it was probably better for her to head home. Upon arriving, Yukine immediately dropped onto her bed; her appetite lost due to her new circumstance. "Stupid...Akatsuki..." She muttered as her eyes grew lazy. "I'll..." Yukine never finished her sentence when sleep took her.

"Dammit, Tobi, Zetsu, how did you manage to fail this one? Honestly, she was a teenage girl for gods sake!" Leader snarled at them from the shadows. A meeting was being held at the Akatsuki base. "Miss-san was fast! And she was smart too, she managed to escape Zetsu-sama twice!" Tobi chirruped. "Obviously, to escape two S-Ranked criminals in the Akatsuki is definitely an achievement." Leader's voice grew grim. "But the question begs; How the hell are we supposed to get the Kunoichi if she's on severe lock-down? That stupid hag gave away precious information and put our mission on the line!" He hissed, his hands slamming down onto the table.

"Those stupid Konoha ninja...I can't even believe they got their hands on that kind of information." he growled. "Leader-sama, we could always sneak into the village and steal her while she's sleeping." Kisame spoke softly. "True, but, a Kunoichi on lock down is guarded to the tee. So we'd have no idea what we'd be up against." He pointed out. "We're an elite group of 10 ninja's, 2 being immortals, I think we'd be okay, un." Deidara smirked. Leader sighed. "Do whatever then, I'm going to see if you can pull this off, think of it...as a test." he said with a grin and disappeared into the darkness. "Meeting dismissed, and whatever you do, do it soon." He growled, his voice fading.

The akatsuki exchanged glances and grins. "Shall we get to planning?" Kakuzu asked. Nods proceeded. "Okay, so we'll start here..."

It had been nearly 2 weeks since she'd been confined full-time to the village. And the only entertainment Yukine had was in the form Hinata and Shizune who came to visit regularly. Tonight, Hinata was spending the night. "Well, at least I won't be bored as hell tonight!" Yukine said aloud, stretching as the sunset cast long shadows across the village, her bag of goodies swaying beside her. Full-time lockdown meant having an anbu walking beside her outside the walls of her home at all times. Which, would have been annoying, save for the fact that Yukine didn't really mind his presence because he didn't talk. Ever. Upon reaching her little cottage, she opened the door to find Hinata sitting politely on the couch, waiting for her. "Well, well. How do you do, Hina-chan?" She smiled, setting the bag down in the kitchen. "Good, Yukine-chan." She said, peering into the bag.

"S'mores, and Ice-cream." Yukine listed the contents of the bag to her ever-curious friend. Hinata smiled. "S-Sounds yummy!" She stammered. Yukine nodded and began dishing out the food. "Go find us a good Horror film." She instructed as she finished fingering the ice-cream of the last scoop. Yukine licked her fingers clean and then brought the bowls out. The two sat down and turned out the lights, kicking back and nibbling on their food as the movie began. Soon however, both Yukine and Hinata were asleep. Yukine however, slept restlessly. She tossed and turned on the couch, her mind plagued with thoughts and dreams of the Akatsuki, her thoughts twisting their intent toward her into various things.

After awhile, Yukine began hearing voices and footsteps. She groaned and rolled over, placing a pillow over her ears. _"What on earth is going on this late at night...?" _She thought bitterly, attempting to drown out the sound. Soon the voices turned to yelling and then there was an explosion. "What the hell?!" Yukine hissed, pulling on her normal clothes and darting to her porch. The entire village was in absolute chaos. People fighting, and carrying on and explosions here and there. "Yukine-chan...What was that-" Hinata stopped dead as her eyes met the chaos. "We have to help..." "But Yukine-chan, you're on lockdown!" Yukine glared at her. "They need help!" She growled, and with that darted out the door. "Yukine-chan!" She called to no avail, her anbu guards swarming after her as she made her getaway.

Yukine began jumping madly from rooftop to rooftop. Soon, she caught sight of the plant man who had first attempted to kidnap her. He was fighting two Sensei's when their eyes met. She smirked just as one caught the huge Akatsuki member in a _Kaiten_. Yukine ran as fast as she could toward the Hokage's office, an angry hunch that something had happened to Tsunade or Shizune nagging at her mercilessly. Upon reaching said building, Yukine pried open the dented shut doors and flung herself into the dark halls of the building in search of the two women. As Yukine ventured farther into the dark halls, she became keenly aware of the bodies splayed below her. So many guards slain... Soon, she neared Tsunade's office. She heard yelling and muffled fighting. "Tsunade-sama!" She shouted running and slamming open the sliding door to find Tsunade held to the far wall of her office by what looked like a large puppet creature, and Shizune passed out cold nearby. Yukine felt sickness and fury twisting her stomach. "Yukine! Get out of here now!" She shouted to the Tsuki nin, furious that the girl had left her quarters _and_ managed to escape her Anbu guards. Yukine stood there, feeling paralyzed and absolutely helpless as she stared at the puppet. "Oh god. I feel sick to my stomach...Nasty-ass dolls..." Yukine griped, hesitantly moving into her fighting position as she shut her eyes tight.

"No, Tsunade-sama, I can't leave you...or Shizu-chan." Yukine growled, beginning to form hand-seals at an amazing speed. "Di...Disguisation no Jutsu!: Transform to Kittens and Flowers!" She shouted, opening her eyes with a jolt and narrowing them at the puppet who was now being wrapped up in Kittens-and-flower print wallpaper that conformed itself to the body. Yukine had always been terrified of dolls and anything of the like, nobody quite knew why, not even she, but one day her father taught her a Jutsu that would replace any doll-like creatures current skin with a new one so it wouldn't seem so scary. She smiled at the memory. "What the..." The puppet growled, annoyed at the sudden unwelcome, and very girly design change. Yukine gave a grin, sliding back into her fighting stance more easily now. "So, this is the girl Tobi and Zetsu couldn't grab, un?" A deep voice rang out. All eyes were on the long-haired blonde with a smirk plastered on his face as he stepped off of a giant clay-bird and into the shattered window of the Hokage's office. "She's kind of cute, Danna, un." He said with a sly smile. "Quit flirting with her you retarded pervert!" Tsunade growled, only to be crushed with more force against the wall. She cringed and went silent. "Jealous, un?" The blonde teased. Yukine fumed, she was disgusted that this..._girl_ was calling her such things! "You stupid ass puppet fucker! Put me down so I can tear his throat out!" Tsunade snarled, fuming. Yukine smirked, seeing an opening. Quickly, she started preforming hand signs. "Kaze no Yaiba jutsu!" She called, revving into the air as a huge blade of wind cut through the room; impossible to evade. The blade of wind cut through part of the big puppet cleanly, also giving the blonde a bit of an unwanted hair-cut as he made a dive onto his bird.

Tsunade took her chance while the puppet was distracted and slammed her fist into it's face, forcing it to let her go. "Yes! Let's finish this!" Yukine said, sprinting excitedly toward Tsunade and Shizune-who had just awoken. "On a count of three, Furio." The three looked at one another and nodded. Yukine and Shizune would hit the Puppet, and Tsunade would pumble the blonde. "1..." Yukine's breath caught in her throat.

"2..."

"3..."

"FURIO!"

Suddenly a burst of Chakra filled the room and a sickening crack resounded against the walls as Yukine and Shizune's Chakra filled-palms slammed into the targets' side. The puppet opened, falling nearly completely apart as a young-looking red-headed boy stepped out, his features veiled by the smoke. "You...broke him." Was all he said, his voice soft. "DANNA, UN! SHE BROKE MY FUCKING NOSE AND POSSIBLY MY FACE!" The scream of the blonde echoed angrily. The smoke had barely cleared before the sound of flesh tearing beside Yukine arose. She turned to see Shizune had taken the puppet's tail to the stomach. Shizune dropped to her knees in front of Yukine. "Yuu-chan..."Shizune glanced over her shoulder, collapsing to the ground. Yukine stared at the woman and Tsunade began screaming bloody murder. _"Yuu-chan..."_ The word echoed in her mind. The only person ever to call Yukine that name, had been her mother. Her mother that had _died_. And Shizune was going to die too. With a hole in her stomach. _Just like her real mother_... Yukine clenched her fists and ground her teeth. "You bastard...You bastard, you bastard...!" Yukine shouted, fury piercing her glinting violet eyes as she attacked the red-headed puppeteer, dodging his attacks and landing a surprisingly clean punch to his face, cracking his cheek. "You stupid little bastard! You killed her! You killed her just like they killed her!" She screamed, slamming him into the ground before he could move to grab one of the scrolls that resided at his back.

The red-head fought to regain control as he felt her fist impact him mercilessly. Over and over again. "Deidara, grab the girl—she's throwing a tantrum and I'm growing impatient." The red-head growled, catching Yukine's fist with annoyance. "Right, un." He said, going to grab her. Suddenly, Tsunade darted forward, but was swiftly slammed into the ground Three stories below them. Yukine stared up at the blonde girl. "If you touch me, I swear to god I'll tear your arm out of it's socket, Girlie." She hissed. Deidara looked taken aback. "Girlie? I'm a MAN, un!" He shouted furiously, grabbing at her legs. She looked startled and crawled backwards. Right into the red-head's leg. He gave an aggravated sigh. "Can you do nothing without assistance, brat?" He glared at Deidara and reached for Yukine, immobilizing her with his Chakra Strings and controlling her into his arms. He picked her up and threw her over his shoulder. "Let's go, we need to pick up the others too." He instructed, climbing onto the bird and dropping her onto his lap. Soon, the rest of the Akatsuki were aboard. "So it took a village invasion...just to capture...this?" The blue haired man growled, gesturing at Yukine. They all nodded. "You stupid Akatsuki..." She muttered. They glared at her. "Shut up, brat." The red-head hissed. "No, jerk." Yukine bit back, attempting to free herself of the chakra strings that held her firmly in place. he glared down at her lazily. "Etch. Insolent child." He commented under his breath.

"Insolent? Child? Look who's talking kid." Yukine scoffed, rolling her eyes. As the argument began heating up between the puppeteer and his captive, the members began whispering amongst themselves. "I've never seen Sasori argue with anyone other than Deidara before." Kisame whispered to Itachi. "Damn, that bitch must have some power to be able to get the fuckin' little doll-lover to actually argue with her!" Hidan commented. "Shut up, Hidan." Kakuzu growled, rolling his eyes at his partner in exasperation.

"Shut up already." Came the calm reply. "No, you! Let me go and get the hell away from me!" Yukine snapped. "Oh my god." Sasori leaned back, her shifting in his lap. "Someone get this idiot away from me before I snap her neck." Sasori hissed, his voice like venom. Kisame grabbed the girl with a sigh as Sasori released her from her strings and Kisame began to adjust Yukine into a full nelson. She took the brief freedom as an opportunity to jab a kunai into Kisame's arm, and shoved him over the edge of the bird with her. "Ciao boys!" She called, riding Kisame into the trees below as the bewildered men looked down at her in surprise. "ITACHI! DEIDARA HELP!" Kisame's screams trailed off. "I don't think...we were very prepared for that, un..." Deidara commented, sweeping the edge of the forest. "Tobi, inform Zetsu that the girl escaped, and that Kisame...is her hostage." Itachi growled. Tobi saluted. "Yes, Itachi-senpai!" And with a puff of smoke, Tobi was gone.

"This is just fucking great." Hidan growled, running a hand carelessly through his hair. "It could be worse." Sasori grumbled, his eyes on the trees below. "Dammit.." He grumbled under his breath. "If she's half the ninja she seems to be, we're in for a challenge." Kakuzu commented, his green eyes blazing.

"Dammit, girl!" Kisame hissed, narrowing his eyes at the girl he was being dragged by. "Sorry, it's your fault for grabbing me, big guy!" Yukine called back, her voice carried by the wind. He glared daggers at her. She had managed to stab him in all of the Chakra points in both arms so now they were nothing short of useless. [Courtesy of a short lesson about the arms and Legs Chakra points given by Hinata.] She had stabbed one point on Deidara's bird, and the rest on the way down. "We need to hide.." Yukine muttered, looking from place to place as she jumped into the trees, Kisame trailing helplessly behind. Suddenly, Yukine felt something grab her leg, and on instinct she slammed her foot into it, causing a very surprised Zetsu to go flying from the tree. "HOLY CRAP!" Yukine cried out, halting on the edge of a branch, only to have Kisame crash into her and send them both flying off the edge of the tree and onto the sopping wet ground. It was now raining. "Oh, what luck!" Yukine shouted at the sky. "Ugh, stupid sky. Why do you have to start crying _now_?" She snapped, shaking her fist angrily at the clouds. **"Dear god, do you think this bitch is actually crazier than us?" **Black Zetsu commented with a snicker as he leaned against a conveniently placed tree. "Quite possibly.." His white half trailed off as his eyes found their way to Kisame who was leaning against Yukine's back.

**"What in gods name did you do to him?"** Zetsu's dark half commented, gesturing toward to the half-conscious Kisame. "I temporarily stopped his chakra flow...a tiny bit." Yukine made an example with her hand by putting a small space between her thumb and index finger. Zetsu scoffed. "Well, they should be here in any minute..." he grumbled to himself, unaware that Yukine had overheard him. She smirked. "Well, gotta run. Bye-bye Plant-san!" She called as she flung herself and Kisame past him, just barely missing his grasp as he reached out to grab for her-or Kisame, whichever he got his hands on first.

Yukine burst out of the woods and stopped when she saw the cliff. She looked up at the sky and saw it; The clay bird hovering in the sky started to swoop down. She gave a smirk. "Nu-uh." She wagged her finger at the in-coming bird, tightening Kisame around her waist with her other hand. "Hey, close your eyes alright?" She said roughly, starting in a run. "What, why?" He grunted, and then he saw it. A huge cliff with an equally impossible leap stood before them. "What the fuck?! You're never going to make that!" He shouted over the roar of the wind. She looked back at him and winked. "I don't intend to." And with those words spoken, she rocketed into the air soared over the gap, her leap failing just short of the other side. "Hold on tight!" She shouted as they began to free fall.

_"You crazy ass woman! Now we're both going die!"_

_..._

_"Heh. That's what you think."_


	3. Stuck In A Hole with Some Whale-Food

**HOAP**

**~ 3 ~**

[[A/N: Sorry if Kisame is an OOC bastard. xD I always thought this was a fitting personality for McFishie.]]

"Did she just...jump...?" Deidara and Hidan asked together, peering over the edge of the cliff in utter shock. No one said anything, they were too surprised to do so. "Does miss-chan dislike us that much already...?" Tobi spoke, his tone sounding genuinely sad. "We did kill that girl she looked really close to, un..." Deidara said softly, his eyes still focused on the other end of the clearing. "So, taking Kisame's life along with her own was pay-back..." Itachi concluded, his eyes darkening into what seemed like anger. "Should we go down there and retrieve the bodies?" Hidan asked. "Is there any point?" Kakuzu growled, narrowing his eyes. Hidan looked at him but remained quiet. "Let's go." Itachi said, returning his gaze to Deidara who was manning their means of getting home. Meanwhile, Sasori had not so much as uttered a breath.

The darkness slowly cleared from Yukine's vision. "Wha..." She stared at the sky above, the shadows growing longer as the sunrise began to fade into day. "I see you're awake." Came a deep voice that startled her. She jolted up, only to go back to the ground, gasping for air as the pain hit her. "...!" She cringed, the air whisping from her lungs, her eyes wide. The blue man looked down at her. "You took quite the punch." He smirked. "Thanks for that." He added after a small silence. _"What? What the hell is he on about-oh.."_

_"You crazy ass woman! Now we're both going to die!"_

_..._

_"Heh. That's what you think."_

Yukine scrambled to preform the hand-signs for their savior as fast as she could possibly manage. "Viu no Jutsu!" She called out, falling beneath Kisame and wrapping her arms around his waist as suddenly, a burst of stone that was wrapped tightly in vines and ferns shot from the darkness of the gap between the two cliffs. Yukine squeezed her eyes tight as she braced herself for impact. Her eyes shot open as she felt the intense pain and crashed into the thick stone, Kisame's crushing weight slamming her through the ferns and right into the stone as it began to retreat, bringing them safely to the bottom of the cliff and became part of the ground once more. Yukine felt darkness crowd her vision as Kisame rolled off her. And soon, there was nothing.

Yukine looked up at Kisame with a sigh. It obviously hurt her to breathe by the look on her face. "You..." She paused to take a pain-staking breath. "You would have crashed right...through the stone and killed us both...so...I...took the blunt so we'd both..." She took another breath. "...Survive..." She finished lamely. He stared at her a moment. She fought to sit up, "You'll only hurt yourself more. There's an amazingly large, perfectly round bruise decorating your back. It actually cut through your skin." Kisame explained. "Honestly, what kind of idiot summons stone with whimpy vines up from the shadows to save herself and her hostage?" Kisame critisized, a teasing grin on his lips. Yukine ignored his words and sat up fully, leaning against the rocky wall despite the pain. "The kind that forgets how big her hostage is." She growled sheepishly, glancing at him weakly. He chuckled.

"So, how are we going to get out of here, anyway?" He questioned her, raising his eyebrow as he took the Samehada from it's holster and began sharpening it in his lap. It seemed as if he'd gotten his chakra flow back. "I...I'm not sure.." Yukine trailed off, her eyes dull. He looked up from his sword. The girl was in no shape to do much of anything on her own, the impact from that stone broke several ribs, not to mention the nasty bruise and circular cut in her back _must_ affect her shoulder blade movement. Yukine sighed and began un-zipping her top. Kisame reddened and shot into a standing position. "Hey! Hey, hey! What the hell are you doing!?" he half-screamed in shock. "I need to heal myself, Shizune and Tsunade taught me a good deal of healing jutsu, and we'll need to scale that wall. Not to mention, you big baby, I have two tops on under this one. Jeez." Yukine said, turning around as she pulled off her black long sleeve shirt that she always had rolled up to her elbows. Now all that was left was her under-shirt. "I need you to do me a favor." She said, still facing away from him. "Yeah?" He replied. "Break my shoulder out of place. Crack it if need be." She instructed. Kisame stared at her, his jaw half way to the ground. "What the hell kind of request is that you retard?!" "Just do it already and you'll see the method to my madness!" "No! Crazy ass girl! If I do that leader'll kill me and we'll never get out of here!" "Quit being a baby! You're not the one getting the broken rotater cup!" She hissed. He sighed.

"Fine." He growled, glowering at her as he crawled over and grasped her shoulder. Her skin was a soft milky white with the occasional freckle. He smirked as the satisfaction of revenge took over him. "Can we think of this as revenge for wounding my pride and my chakra system?" He asked, grinning a blood-thristy grin. She nodded, silent. She was obviously bracing herself for the pain. He smirked and within a milisecond had twisted her rotater cup backwards so that her arm now turned the wrong way at a grotesque angle. She wrenched forward, bucking upward at the pain.

"Th-thanks..." She stammered. "No problem." He smirked, flashing her a mouth full of sharks' teeth. She scoffed, rolling her eyes at the man as she slowly moved her hand to her back and hovered it there. Slowly, a soft blue-green light began to form, moving like convection currents as it healed her wounds. Soon she felt the broken ribs begin to mend themselves and the pain begin ebbing away. She noticed Kisame watch with fascination as the healing took place. She snickered silently at him as she finished, cringing as she brought her left hand up heal her right shoulder. Slowly, the arm began to move back to it's regular angle. She gave a sigh of relief and collapsed on the dirt ground. "Painless movement, oh how I've missed you so!" Yukine exclaimed, spreading out on the ground. Kisame stared at her for a moment. She looked at him. "What? Never seen a girl play in the dirt, Whale-food?" She sneered. He surpressed a chuckle. "Whale-food? Never heard that one before." Kisame commented. Yukine sat up, raising an eyebrow. "I've heard Shark-bait, Sharky, Fish-Face, Aquaman, Toothless, Tiny-eyes, and Land Shark. But I've never once in my life been called Whale-Food." He concluded. "Well, now I feel accomplished." She said with a satisfactory grin on her face.

"By the way, Whale-Food," Yukine said, her voice softer now. "I never did catch your name." She looked at him. He flashed her a toothy grin. "Hoshigaki. Hoshigaki, Kisame." He stated dutifully. "And yours Stone-Girl?" He prodded. "How _original_." She jeered at him. "Yep." He replied. "If you don't like it, then state your name." He said in a mock-buisness tone. "Ayuzawa, Yukine." She said proudly. "Well, nice to meet you. Now, shall we get out of this hole?" He grinned. She stood and brushed herself off, zipping up her top once more. "Mhm," She said, and soon the two were scaling the wall in silence. It was interesting how this mans' personality could change in a split second depending on how he was spoken to. Yukine had noticed this, and snickered; reminded of a quick tempered child.

[[Another A/N: Sorry it's so short and ends on a weird note. Asdfghjkl; I'm terrible at cliff hangers and such, and these first 12 chapters are REALLY old. ; v; Please forgive me for the OOC and crappiness that may ensue as you continue to read!]]


	4. Whale-Food and The Little Monster

HOAP

~ 4 ~

"Leader-sama...we apologize..." The 7 men bowed in unison. "You idiots!" Hissed a ruthless voice from the shadows. "How could you let her get away _again?_ And let alone, with a hostage this time?" He snarled. "She took one of our finest members hostage and committed suicide!" He slammed his fist down on the table. "And you!" he spat, pointing an accusing finger at Sasori. "This is mainly _your_ fault!" He shouted. Sasori stood stoically, his eyes never faltering against the leaders gaze as the other members let their eyes linger on him. "Had you not unnecessarily murdered her friend-thing, maybe the fucking woman would have gone a little more peacefully, and _NOT_ have killed one of our strongest members!" He snapped, his calm demeanor completely gone and a look of pure rage twisting his face. "Not to mention that you handed her over to Kisame, leaving an opening for an attack you _should _have seen coming! And NOW I have a member without a partner!" He screamed, stepping out of the shadows, the vein in his jugular throbbing.

"Pein," Came a soft calm voice. Pein turned around, his eyes blazing, only to soften when a tender hand touched his shoulder. "Maybe you're being a bit to hard on Sasori-san, after all, from the sounds of it, Ayuzawa-san seems like a very skilled Kunoichi." She said, her calm voice seeming to soothe the entire Akatsuki's nerves in one go. "She and Kisame are both dead." Pein growled softly. Konan stayed calm at the remark. "Are you sure?" She asked. "I saw her take Kisame with her off the cliff, un." Deidara spoke up. "Yeah, the bitch went crazy, and she even looked up at us and smiled!" Hidan added. Konan raised an eyebrow at this. She smiled? That doesn't sound like a ninja about to commit suicide. She gave a pleasant smile nonetheless. "I see, well, until we find Itachi a new partner, I suggest he stay in the Head Quarters, don't you agree Pein?" She asked, eyeing her partner. He nodded slowly, wondering what she knew that he didn't. "Meeting dismissed, then. I hope you'll not soon forget what fools you acted." He hissed at them, turning on his heel and letting the shadows swallow he and Konan once more.

"We're fuckin' lucky Konan came to save the day, again." Hidan commented as the group made their way down the cramped corridor. "You think?" Kakuzu growled**. "Sasori would have been chewed up and spit out, or, maybe he would end up looking like his puppet that girl and her mother tore up." **Black Zetsu snickered, earning a glare from the short red-head. "That girl did tear up your riding puppet, un. They all tore it up good." Deidara commented. "How many times do I have to tell you, brat. His name is_ Hiruko_." Sasori hissed, annoyance tinting his features. Deidara rolled his eyes. Sasori remained quiet the rest of the way to his room, his mind on the girl who had managed to break his favorite puppet in half, got him to engage in an argument that _wasn't _about art, and kidnapped AND killed another Akatsuki member. Not to mention one of the stronger ones at that. Was this girl really dead? Sasori sighed, running a restless hand through his messy red locks as he sat on his bed, beginning the repairs on Hiruko.

"Damn rocks keep slipping from my grip!" Kisame snapped. Yukine looked down at him. "Because you're clawing at them like a cat, grip it like a man." Yukine instructed, demonstrating by climbing a little bit.—She had to help him out. There was no choice in this matter for either of them. If they didn't work together, they'd both surely die inside this hell hole.—He nodded, mimicking her slowly. "Perfect." She said, redirecting her gaze above them. "I assume we can get to the top by nightfall if we keep at it, just don't fall." Yukine instructed. "And if you're scared of heights, don't look down." She added, climbing on ahead. Kisame followed at a comparably slow pace below her, mumbling profanities under his breath. "Hey, Ayuzawa-san!" Kisame called from below her. "What is it?" She said, huffing as she hopped onto a ledge, and turned to look down at him. "What time do you s'pose it is right now?" He called, nearing her. Yukine gripped the side of the rock ledge for balance as she looked toward the sky. "I'd say about 4 PM." She said as he climbed to stand beside her.

"Alright, let's get back to climbing!" She declared, jumping back onto the rock-face and climbing once more. They were both too chakra-depleted to run along the wall, and as crumbly as the surface seemed to be, it was more likely than not that they'd end up killing themselves. Yukine sighed, whiping the sweat from her brow. She looked to the sky to check the time. Sunset. "We're almost to the top!" She called to her obviously-dog-tired-temporary-companion. He looked up at her and gave her a thumbs up. Soon the two were lapsed into yet another silence, [For the eighth time today] which, neither of them seemed to mind. Talking would only waste precious energy anyways. Yukine closed her eyes, sleep threatening her as she dozed on the rock face. "Ayuzawa-san! What's the hold-up!" A loud voice jolted her wide-awake once more followed by a crisp, cold wind sweeping her cheeks. "N-Nothing!" Yukine squeaked, scurrying farther up the rock face. Just a few more feet, and they were out. Night had already fallen now, and the Autumn wind was unrelenting against their skin.

Finally, Yukine clawed the rest of the way over onto solid ground, helping Kisame out too. The pair collapsed, chests heaving on the grass. "We did it." He looked at her and grinned. "Yes, we did." She grinned back. They sat up, grins plastered on their faces. But then of course, they realized that they were being friendly toward each other. Too friendly for either of their tastes. "Err..I could've done it without you, you know." Yukine growled haughtily. "Psh. I could've done it without you too. I don't need some little girl to teach me how to climb cliffs. I was just faking not knowing, to gauge your reaction." He muttered. "Oh whatever, Whale-food." She laughed. He glared at her. "Oh, back on nickname basis? How about, Next-Meal-Girl?" He grinned a bloodthirsty grin, staring her down. Yukine shot him an equally violent stare. And soon it had become a glaring contest.

"…I'm too tired to act this childish with you." She said after about five minutes as she stood up and began walking away. "Hey! Where are you going?!" Kisame shouted, jumping up and chasing after her. "Home. That's where. You have your own home to go to, Hoshigaki, Kisame. So get a move on." She said coldly, glancing at him over her shoulder. "So what, are you gonna make me chase your ass all over Konohgakure village?" He shouted, causing her to stop. She turned to glance at him. She grinned, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Pretty much, yeah." She replied. "A challenge eh? Sounds like something fun." He said, pulling the Samehada from it's holster. He wouldn't kill her by any means. He would just have some fun. Some good old ninja fun.

And with that, the chase was on. Yukine was speeding through the forest as fast as her legs would carry her, and surprisingly enough, Kisame was right on her tail, Samehada trailing behind him as he picked up considerable speed. Yukine noticed this and tried to Shunshin but it was too late. Kisame had beat her to the punch it seemed, for he had shun shinned right in front of her and swung the blunt part of Samehada in an impossible-to-evade sweep, knocking the girl straight into a large oak tree. She fell from the tree and hit the ground with a thud, only to claw her way back to her feet. "Using a weapon like that isn't very fair, Hoshigaki-san." Yukine grinned, whiping the blood from her mouth. "But I suppose I'll have to work on that." She grinned. "Let's make it fair…." She paused, beginning to form hand signs at a lethal speed. "Technique of the Moon!: Crescent Moon slash!" She shouted, commencing the jutsu as a humongous, brightly illuminated blade manifested itself and swept through the forest, slamming the Kiri nin into the ground and creating a huge crater, as well as disarming the huge ninja of his sword. "So the little Leaf ninja does know some moves, eh?" Kisame called, getting back up and dusting himself off. "Who ever said those were Konoha techniques?" Yukine grinned, a hand smugly planted on her hip.

Kisame raised a brow. "Here, I'll clear this up a little for you, Hoshigaki-san." She said, pausing to take a polite bow. "I am Ayuzawa, Yukine. Proud native of Tsukigakure Village, or, The village Hidden beneath the Moon if you prefer." She said in a professional tone as she returned to her original standing position. "I see. So you're not from Konoha. They just took you in, hm?" the blue-skinned man questioned. "Correct." Yukine nodded. Kisame sighed. "And here I thought I'd get to play god with a little fragile Konoha Leaf." He said, looking disappointed. Yukine smirked at that comment. "Sorry to burst your bubble, then." He grinned at the comment, and then disappeared from her sight. Only to resurface behind her. In one swift movement he had the Samehada's blade to her neck and an arm trapping her to his chest. "Oh, you didn't burst my bubble, kid. But it looks like I caught you." He said, peering down at the violet eyed girl with a bloodthirsty grin.

"So what do you plan to do, now that you've got me, Whale-food?" She said, looking up at him boredly. "Take you back to base as my hostage."

"So change roles?"

"I wasn't your hostage."

"Yes you were. I beat your ass thin."

"I WASN'T YOUR HOSTAGE!"

"Uhuh. Keep telling yourself that, Hoshigaki-san."

Kisame bonked her on the head with his fist in aggravation. "Hey—Ow!" She whimpered. "Come on, kid, we're going back to base now." He said, cuffing her hand to his with chains that had a special jutsu on them. The jutsu allowed the two to have as much space from each other as per request of the holder of the cuffs. Yukine sighed, running her free hand through her hair. "And I suppose I can't break these right…?" She asked. "Not unless you want it to shock your ass." Kisame grinned. Yukine pouted at that. "Don't be such a wuss, kid." "I'm not 'kid'. I have a name." She glared up at him through her bangs as they sat down under a tree to rest for the night. "Don't like that name, eh? Fine. Ayuzawa-san, then. But if you get on my nerves, you'll be 'dead kid'. Got it?" He said, looking down at her. She rolled her eyes, but nodded nonetheless. And soon the two were fast asleep, leaning on each other for warmth. After all, Autumn was surprisingly cold in the land of the fire, where Konohagakure resided.

[[A/N: Sorry this one was really weird. ;A; I hope you still enjoyed it though!]]


	5. The Anti-Climactic Journey!

HOAP

~ 5 ~

The next morning Yukine awoke to a rather heavy feeling in her chest. She looked down to see Kisame's large arm splayed across her torso. "You idiot..." She growled sleepily, shoving his arm into his face. "Hey...What was that for...?!" A sleepy Kisame groaned, sitting up. "Your huge arm was splayed over my chest, you big oaf! I couldn't hardly breath! I woke up due to lack of oxygen!" Yukine flailed her arms, over exaggerating in annoyance. He laughed, rolling his eyes. "Well, shall we then?" He asked. "Lead the way Mr. Criminal." Yukine said, standing and motioning for him to go in front of her. "I really wish you wouldn't refer to us as criminals. We're not terrible you know, we're doing all this for a cause." He growled as he stalked off in the lead. Yukine raised a brow at this. "Oh really now? And what's your cause?" She spat sarcastically, struggling to keep up with his long strides. Kisame glanced down at her. "Nevermind...Leader would skin me alive if I told you." Kisame waved a hand, dismissing the conversation.

"Fine. Be that way!" Yukine pouted. Kisame rolled his eyes and shoved her arm. "Psh. Kid." He teased. She looked up at him, and shoved back. Soon, it was a shoving match that took place along the course of thirty minutes. Kisame was laughing, and Yukine cracked a short smile. It seemed some rest was all they needed to start fresh. "So, how far is Amegakure?" She asked.

"About 2 days from here by Deidara's bird, so on foot...It's 4 days away."

"Oh, we can do that. Wait-does that count stops?"

"Nope."

"So then, what're we gonna eat?"

"I don't know. Whatever comes our way I guess. There are at least three smaller villages along the way."

"Well, then, we're going to make a stop at the first one and stock up on food and water."

"Fine by me. Get lots of water."

"You are such a sea creature."

"Damn straight."

The two sighed, and soon were enveloped in a comfortable silence as they sped through the various landscapes.

"Oh hey! There's a village up ahead!" Yukine exclaimed as they reached the top of a hill. "Really? Well, let's go!" Kisame said with a grin, slipping down the large hill with ease. Yukine watched him for a bit, the sunset blocking part of her view. He turned around after a ways. "You coming?" He called back to her, the chakra string on her wrist, connecting her to Kisame's, jerking her arm forward a bit at the distance. "Oh, …yeah." Yukine muttered, sprinting lazily down the hill to catch up with the pale-skinned ninja. Some might ask why she had decided to accompany Kisame back home without too much resistance. Well, the answer to this is quite simple. Kisame recognized her as an equal, if only subtly. But she also believed that he might remove the cuffs if she was compliant enough with him for a majority of the journey. She smirked at the devious plan.

Soon the two were walking along the path into the village. "I'm going to go gather some supplies." Yukine informed him, glancing at him over her shoulder. "Well, wait. I'll go with you, you can't be too careful." Kisame said, walking faster to catch up to her. She sighed. "Very well, but you're carrying the supplies." "Fine." He shrugged. Soon, they found a vender who was selling food and drink. "Hello ma'am how may I help you?" The old man said politely. She plastered a polite smile on her face. "Hello sir, do you have any traveling food and water supplies available in bulk?" She asked, leaning on the counter. But, the man was no longer paying attention to her, but staring at Kisame who had just made his way behind her. "Ah...M-Miss...do you..." He swallowed hard. "Know this gentleman?" He asked, swallowing hard as he gestured behind her. Yukine looked over her shoulder and then returned her gaze to the man. "Oh yes, he's my travelling companion." She said. "H-His cloak." He whispered. Yukine mentally face-palmed. It had completely slipped her mind! Dammit!

"Oh, that old thing?" She forced a chuckle, getting ready to lie like hell. The man looked at her curiously. "Awhile back he killed an Akatsuki member and stole his cloak, and now he refuses to take the stupid thing off." Yukine lied easily, which wasn't surprising considering lying was second nature to shinobi. "Really?!" The old man exclaimed in excitement, his eyes filling with admiration instead of fear. "Yep. It was quite a match. Very bloody, that stupid missing nin got what he deserved. But anyways, How about those travelers' supplies?" She asked, gating her hands and leaning on the counter even more. "O-Oh yes, ma'am!" He said, hurrying to the back of the store and reappearing moments later with a load of food and water. "How long will you be traveling?" he asked, sorting out the supplies. "It'll take us 2 more days to get there." Yukine said swiftly. The old man nodded and calculated the distance in his head. "Here, this should be enough ma'am." He said, his eyes on Kisame who was looking rather embarrassed at the attention. Yukine handed Kisame the traveling supplies and the Kiri-nin safely tucked it away behind his sword.

"Well, we'll be off now!" Kisame said with a grin, grabbing Yukine's hand and leading her away from the stand. "Miss!" The old man called. The pair stopped and turned to glance at the old man. "You're lucky to have such a strong man as your lover!" He called. Yukine and Kisame both reddened at that. Fresh pink flushing Yukine's cheeks and a soft lavender coating the Kiri-nin's. The two bowed hurriedly scurried off. Yukine pulled her hand from his grip before belting into a hysterical fit of laughter. "Me?! With you?!" Yukine pointed as Kisame joined her in her laughter. "You're just a big blue oaf-criminal who came to kidnap me and use me as weapon for your crazy serial killer plans!" She remarked. "And you're just a little delinquent who escaped from the Akatsuki! Not to mention I'm way older than you! I'd feel like a major pedophile if I kissed you!" He shouted, holding his stomach as he bent over laughing. "I know right? How old are you, like, 30?!" Yukine retorted with a giggle. "32." He corrected, holding up his index finger with a smirk. Yukine chuckled. "And what are you? Like 19?" He teased. "Actually, I'm 17." She said with a grin. He raised an eyebrow. "Only what, a 15 year difference?" He gave an amused snort.

"Age is only a number!" Yukine protested, impersonating an old man. This sent Kisame doubling over in laughter. "Okay, okay." She breathed. "Enough of that, let's get going - We'll probably have to travel through the night." Yukine announced, getting back to business. And once again, the two were off traveling into the night.

2 days later, the two had arrived in Amegakure. "Now what?" Yukine asked, hands on her hips as she stared at the white gates. "Well, now we skirt the village completely." Kisame replied simply, breaking into a run. Yukine heaved a sigh and began sprinting after him. The two sped around the border of Ame until they reached the back of the village. "Now we head down this hill...and we keep running straight until we reach a patch of forest..." Kisame mumbled, his voice carried on the wind. Yukine sped up, using a significant amount of her energy just trying to keep up with the long legged shinobi. "It's wet as all get out, isn't it?" Kisame commented, hopping onto a rain-soaked boulder, Yukine bounding up beside him. "Indeed." She replied softly, quietly panting as she shook the droplets of water from her long brown hair.

Wind swept across the long grassy land-scape that stretched before the two missing nin, the grass swirling into vague designs as the rain beat down mercilessly. "I think...if we go 3 more kilometers we should reach the forest." Kisame muttered, glancing back at Yukine. She nodded. "Let's go then." She said before taking a few fast gulps of air. "Let's go." He said, and then the two were off. Sprinting along the wet lands as fast as possible, all the while looking forward to being dry once more.

"There it is! I see it!" Yukine exclaimed after a long silence. "Wonderful. This rain is really starting to get to me, but y'know, I think we accidentally took the long way too." Kisame turned around, an apologetic look on his face. Yukine sighed and glared at him, shaking her head. "Sorry!" He called, speeding up and flinging himself into the forest, Yukine speeding after him. "C'mon, let's just get you home." She growled, jumping from tree to tree, passing him up. Kisame grunted, speeding up to run beside her. "Kisame," Yukine said after awhile. He glanced at her. "I'm going to leave as soon as we get there," She began. Kisame stared at her. "I refuse to be held prisoner by the Akatsuki, and then killed like a useless sheep when my role has been successfully played. I can't die. Not yet." She growled, her expression grim. Kisame stopped, the HQ was barely in view now. Yukine stopped looking back at him. "Please don't try and stop me, I know you're loyal to your organization, but don't do this." Yukine said firmly. Kisame gripped the hilt of his sword.

"I'm going to tell you the same thing I told Itachi when we became partners," Kisame began, looking at her with defiance in his eyes.

. . .

_"Sharks start out as eggs, but incubate and hatch in the womb. Sometimes the number of pups is less than the number of eggs that were fertilized. Do you know why? __**Cannibalism**__. The pups start eating each other within the mother's womb the moment they hatch. They start killing their siblings the moment they enter the world, viewing everything they see as nothing more than prey. So be careful… of me..."_

And then, without another word, he took Samehada, and swung it right through the barely-visible chakra rope that connected the two.

A/N: I probably should have panned the journey home out over 2 or 3 chapters…but editing it NOW would just be a real pain in the rear. I did edit out some of the spelling errors though, So I hope you enjoy it despite the journey being so short. xD


	6. Home Sweet Home, Right?

HOAP

~ 6 ~

Yukine looked up at the huge Ex-Kiri-nin in surprise. She hadn't expected him to do THAT with his sword. And then, she decided it was time to counter his argument. "Kisame-san," She began respectfully, "I understand that very well, but you seem to be very forgetful of one incredibly important fact." She paused, watching as he raised a brow of curiosity at her. "You are _also partly human_ as well." She concluded. He stared at her. He'd never been told such a thing in his life. Kisame had _always_ been referred to as something of a monster. And with that, Kisame couldn't help but grin at the girl. Maybe she wasn't such a bad twerp after all. He then sat his huge hand on her head, and ruffled her hair. "You're not so bad, kid." He said, revealing two rows of thin, sharp teeth.

Yukine rolled her eyes, ignoring the embarrassed-pink tinge that was slipping onto her cheeks as she shoved his hand away. "Oh, shut up!" She grumbled. "Anyways, don't think just because I cut your cuffs doesn't mean you're free to go, you're still one of the Akatsuki's targets. And we need you, Ayuzawa-san. So, I have no choice in this; You _have_ to come with us." Kisame looked at her with a note of seriousness in his tiny shark-like eyes. Yukine only shook her head. "…I will walk you to base." And that was all she said on the matter as she sprinted off in front of him, deeper into the dark, creepy, foreboding forest.

Soon the two finally reached their destination. A huge monstrous-like creature made of stone stood before them. Yukine let out a soft gasp of surprise as she stared at the statuesque creature. "Scare you?" He teased. "No." She growled, and then winced slightly as a familiar voice rang out in her head.

_"Heheh. Isn't it such a marvelous statue?"_ The deep taunting voice rang through her ears. "Wha…?" She whispered in shock; she hadn't heard this voice since just after the destruction of her village. _"These silly little ninja seem to have __an interesting little plan set up for my colleagues, don't you think, Ayuzawa-san?"_ The voice asked. "I don't know what their plan is. …And colleagues…? What colleagues…?" She asked in dismay, confused as to what the voice inside her head was blathering on about. _"Just as ignorant as always, it's pitiful you've made it this far without figuring it all out yet, honestly, all of what you need is right in front of you. You're just too weak and insolent to grab the power you __COULD possess." _"What power are you on about?! Jesus Christ, you're just as vague and aggravating as you were when I was a child and you left me to starve, not like you could do much though considering you're my IMAGINATION!" She shouted in frustration, beginning to pace.

"What's your damage?! I mean—." _"It seems you are letting your emotions control you again. I will take my leave once more. Good-bye now, Ayuzawa-san."_ And with that, the deep mind-numbing voice was gone, and Yukine was snapped to attention by Kisame. "Ayuzawa-san, Hey, kiddo! Quit spacing out, you midget retard!" "Huh?—What the heck kind of insult is that?! I'm average height!" "No you're not. You're like, 5'1. Everyone in the Akatsuki dwarves your ass except Sasori and Itachi. They're only a little bit taller that you." Kisame laughed, incredibly amused by his jab at the poor girl. "Oh shut it! And don't bring up that stupid red-headed faggot again!" She muttered, remembering the "Scorpion" by name due to hearing the Blonde say it a few times.

"Anyways, Where's the entrance?" Yukine asked, tapping her foot anxiously. "Just a little farther, Ayuzawa-san. Around this corner here. What you saw just now is only a marker; the 'face' of our base." Kisame explained as he lead her around the back of the ginormous statue. Once around, they had stepped into close proximity of the Akatsuki base, sounding off a string of alarms that were set up around the base in case of intruders. And as if on instinct, while Kisame was distracted by the loud noise, Yukine did an amazingly fast Shunshin and made her way up a thickly covered Oak tree that hid her well, but still left her within good range of hearing and sight of the men. Well, she could see them, but they couldn't see her.

Suddenly, the entrance door slammed open, and just inside the now wide-open door was _Uchiha, Itachi. _Yukine noticed a brief passing look of severe confusion and shock pass across the generally stoic Uchiha's face when he noticed his big-blue oaf of a partner was the supposed intruder on Akatsuki territory. "Kisame…" He murmured, his onyx eyes basically burning into his partners' skull. "Miss me?" The pale blue ninja said, giving a toothy grin before picking up the considerably shorter man in a very "manly" bear hug, and then replacing him on his feet once more. "Who's out there, un?!" Deidara, the blonde man who was known for his severe speech impediment shouted, ready for a fight as he joined Itachi at the entrance; eager to out-do him. And when Deidara saw Kisame standing at the entrance, he did a double take. "K-KISAME, UN?! YOU'RE ALIVE?!" He shouted. "Yeah and someone is here wi—." He was cut off by Deidara. "BUT WE ALL SAW THAT GIRL TAKE YOU OFF THE CLIFF, UN!" He shouted in disbelief. "Yes, Deidara and she's right—." "WE THOUGHT YOU WERE—!" "SHUT UP AND LET ME TALK, DEIDARA!" Kisame shouted, smacking the young boy upside the head, stunning him.

"Now, if you'll let me speak—sorry, Ayuzawa-san, they get a little rowdy sometimes—The girl who you think killed me is right-…Ayuzawa-san…" He whispered as he turned around to see nothing but a few leaves whisping along the winds' current in her place. "Ayuzawa-san? Who's that, un? The target?" Deidara inquired, peaking around Kisame's large figure, searching for the second presence. "I don't see anyone else, un. I think you're going crazy, un." He laughed. Kisame shot him a glare. "She was here, just a moment ago when the alarms went off." And that's when it hit him, she had left when he was distracted by the Alarms sounding off. Kisame gave a sigh of what seemed like disappointment, turning to see that the rest of the Akatsuki had been alerted of his return.

"Wow, it's really you, Fish-head!" Hidan grinned, patting him on the back. "Yep. It's really me." Kisame reassured. "Welcome back." Sasori said, awkwardly standing by the door. He obviously wasn't use to being without Hiruko, his riding puppet, just yet. After all, it still needed extensive repairs after his face-off with the Target and her mother. Kisame nodded to the Scorpion, acknowledging him briefly.

"So, did the bitch die, or what?"

"No, Hidan. Actually, I believe she saved my life."

Upon hearing those words, Yukine cringed. "Dammit." She muttered under her breath, cursing her former companion for saying those words that told the men after her that she was indeed alive. She knew what this meant. She could _not_ return to Konohagakure. Not ever. Now it would seem, she would be forced to abandon both of her homes. First, Tsukigakure, and now, Konoha; her adoptive home. The home that had taken her in when her first had been destroyed at the hands of rival ninja's. And with one last glance over her shoulder at the clamoring group, she uttered a soft sigh and then fled the area.

"It appears I will be a rogue ninja now." She concluded after awhile, absent mindedly touching the cool, smooth metal of her mother's old hetai-ate that was tied proudly around her neck. The metal was scratched and worn with age, but the symbol that the metal bore was still boldly visible, despite that fact that it easily slipped past many eyes if they weren't paying specific attention to it. She smiled as she remembered her mother. Her sweet, calming laugh, and her snarky come-backs when she and her father battled teasingly. She didn't remember much about her parents. But she did remember certain quirks about them that she recognized in herself these days. She smiled, her spirits a little cheered after thinking of what little fond memories of them she had. She began to sing softly as she sped along, letting the sprinkling rain soak into her skin once more as she ran. Perhaps this new-found freedom wouldn't be so bad…

"So, Kisame, un. What'd you mean when you said the target saved your life?" An inquisitive Deidara asked. Kisame let his gaze sweep across the Akatsuki-filled living room before moving back to rest on Deidara who eagerly awaited an answer. The blue Swordsman rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Well, there's not much to elaborate on." He shrugged. "Yes, there fuckin' is, Fish-head! For one, you could tell us how the fuck she saved your life." He snapped, deciding to put his two-sense in. Kisame let out a sigh of defeat. He really hadn't wanted to go into specifics. He was still disappointed in himself for letting her get away after putting in all of that effort to drag her here with him.

"Well," He grumbled, "She did some type of jutsu and this giant circular stone pillar covered in thick vines wrapped around it shot up—." "Wouldn't your weight slam into the stone and break it?" Kakuzu asked, the first words he'd said all day it seemed. "Let me finish," Kisame growled, sick of being interrupted. "And when it shot up, she realized that with half my body immobilized, I was going to be even heavier than usual, so she fell under me, and held on to me so that when we made contact with the stone, her weight would counter mine somewhat. It didn't make much sense, but somehow it worked, and we only cracked the pillar." Kisame concluded.

"And your big-ass self didn't crush her?!" Hidan exclaimed in exasperation. "The ferns and vines were pretty thick, and there was obviously more than one layer of them. They absorbed a lot of the impact, but the stone itself still tore from the vines after impact and when she hit stone it knocked her unconscious and wounded her pretty badly. But, had it been the other way around, we'd both be dead right now." He said, finishing his explanation. The Akatsuki went silent, soaking in the information. So, the Target had saved one of her own enemies…? "And what happened while you were stuck in that hole, un?" Deidara asked, grinning at the ex-Kirigakure nin. "Nothing much. She had me break her shoulder, and then we climbed out." He said with incredible vagueness.

"Kisame-kun broke Target-chan's shoulder?!" Tobi squealed in shock as he entered the room with his companion, Zetsu. "She asked me to do so." He defended lazily. "Why would she do that?" White Zetsu inquired. "Because, that Stone Pillar cut into her back, and it was pretty bad. But anyways, she couldn't reach unless she broke her rotator cup." He answered. "Reach to do what?" A few members asked in unison. "To heal herself. She knows a bit of medical jutsu, it look's like." Kisame said with a snicker. "Inflict pain to heal pain? Fuck yes. I like this chick!" Hidan cheered sadistically. "You just like her because she sounds like a masochist." Kakuzu growled, rolling his eyes in exasperation at his partner's insolence. "Damn straight!" Hidan shouted. "But yeah, you broke her arm and she healed herself? How did she heal her broken shoulder then, un?" "She used her left hand? Duh." Deidara flustered in embarrassment, going quiet.

"And so what happened when you were free from the hole?" A low, familiar growl was heard from the doorway. Leader-sama stood, leaning against the frame of the hallway that lead to his office. Kisame gave leader a sheepish grin. "Long time no see, Leader-sama." Kisame said, knowing he was probably in trouble for failing to let Leader know he was alive and well. "I see the men have stopped you from informing me of your return." He said with a glare. "Sorry Leader-sama…" Came the apology. The anger immediately slipped from the orange-haired man's face. He smirked. "No matter, however, answer the question. What happened once you were out of the cavern?" He asked. "Well, we began to travel together…" He trailed, a ghost of a smile on his face. Despite her having been cuffed most of the time, she was pleasant to say the least. "And…?" "And nothing. We stopped at a village, got some supplies, and spent the rest of the time getting back here. She was right with me the entire time until we got to base, and then alarms went off, Itachi came out, and when I turned around, she was gone." He sounded slightly disappointed, and the others couldn't help but notice this. "So that means we've still got a Jinchurikki tracker to catch boys, no doubt she'll be returning to Konoha." Leader gave a devious smirk, happy to know their tool was still alive.

"I'll be sending out a search party to find her, and as it will _obviously_ take more than just a pair of you to capture the girl," Leader began with bitter sarcasm laced in his voice, obviously remembering the other two failed attempts at her capture as he scanned the room for his selected victims. "Kisame, Itachi, you'll be going because Kisame knows the girl and she might let her guard down—if only slightly—around him." He declared, looking at the two who only nodded, Kisame attempting to look stoic as he did so. "Sasori, Deidara, This is your chance at redemption. You'll be going with them. However, if you fail, and do not come back with the girl this time, I'll kill you myself." He hissed. "Am I clear?" He asked, challenging them. "Yes, sir…" They mumbled, Deidara obviously unhappy being stuck with the blame that was originally Sasori's. "Good. Now go pack. You'll leave first thing in the morning." He said before turning on his head and starting to head back for the shadows of the hallway.

"And Kisame…" He said, stopping just as reached the hallway, his back still turned to the man. Leader smirked. "Welcome back."

[[A/N: HNNNG. This one was sort of long. ;v; I hope you still enjoyed reading it though. =] Also, Thank you all for your reviews! It makes me so happy that so many of you are posting reviews and expressing your feelings on the story! It means so much to me!]]


	7. The Three Musketeers!

HOAP

~ 7 ~

"Is she dead?" A tomish girls' voice asked. "She hasn't moved once, and we've been standing here for about four minutes so…" A young boys' voice commented cooly. "Well don't poke her, Akiko-san!" A sweet, soft voice squeaked. "Hey, It's perfectly justified Yume-chan!" The haughty tom voice complained. "Hn." The male muttered. "Miss? Miss, are you alright?" The soft voice asked, crawling it's way into Yukine's ears as she felt herself being gently shaken.

"…Hmm…?"

"Oh, so she is alive!"

"Woah! Yume-chan, don't hug her! She could be an enemy ninja!"

"Sorry…I thought she was injured, or dead…"

"…W-Who the hell are you kids?"

"Shouldn't WE be asking YOU that question?"

"Shiki-kun, be nice. She's only just come to!"

"Fine…Yume-chan."

"It's better than poking her with a stick."

"Hey! It was perfectly logical in that situation."

"Psh. Whatever you say, Akiko."

"…"

Yukine's eyes snapped open at that and she tackled the nearest voice to the ground. The male. She placed a kunai swiftly to his neck, staring down at him threateningly. "State your name, village, and buisness. Now." She hissed, glancing at the other two who stared at her in shock. The boy beneath her gave a short sigh. "Sumire, Shiki. Ex-Amegakure Nin." He relayed, seeming as if he'd been repeating the same line over and over again for ten years. Yukine glanced at the other two expectantly. A petite, Lavender-headed girl stepped forward, if not a bit timidly. "I'm Shiro, Yume. Nice to meet you." She bowed. "And I'm an Ex-Sunagakure nin." She added quickly before straightening herself. Then, an average height red-head sporting a thick pony-tail grinned confidently, striding forward. "Gasai, Akiko. Ex-Kumogakure nin and proud of it!" She shouted, jabbing a thumb toward herself for emphasis.

"As for our buisness," The Yume began. "We were out patrolling." The boy underneath Yukine finished. "Well, we were, that is until we came across you." Akiko, the red-headed girl piped up. Yukine raised an eyebrow at that. "Patrolling…? Patrolling _what_ exactly?" She asked curiously. "Oh, uhm. We're a travelling group of missing-nin, banded together for survival." The lavender haired Yume spoke up. "Oh, one of those Roaming Nin gangs?" Yukine asked, pausing for a second. "The ones with various ninja coming from a variety villages that travel as a pack?" She added. The three nodded. "I see." Yukine whispered, and with that, she stood up, removing the kunai from the boys neck. She offered him her aid to stand, but he only waved her away, standing on his own.

"My apologies," Yukine began, bowing momentarily. "I wasn't certain whether or not you were someone to be weary of." She said, her tone incredibly buisiness-like. "No worries, any one of us would've done the same thing." Shiki, the boy said, running a hand through his hair with a sigh. "But, the question still begs," He began, a more serious look on his features now, "Are _you_ someone we should be weary of?" He asked, his eyes scanning her for anything that might give him his answer before she spoke. "I don't believe so. Should I be?" Yukine challenged. "…No." All three answered in unison this time. Yukine couldn't help but chuckle. "Well, then I'll let you three get back to your 'patrolling'." She said with a quick wave as she began to walk away from the three ninja's, her hair sweeping behind her.

"Hey, Purple Eyes! Wait!" Akiko called. "Hm?" Yukine said, ignoring the offhand comment and turning around to see that the three had caught up with her. "I don't recall ever seeing that Village hetai-ate anywhere…" She murmured, pointing at Yukine's neck where her hetai-ate hung proudly. Yukine cringed a bit when the girl mentioned her Village symbol. "How old are you?" Yukine asked, glancing at her grimly. "16." The red-head answered haughtily. "I see. That explains it." Yukine sighed, running a hand through her brunette hair. "You've never seen this village symbol before because it was annihilated 12 years ago." She said, looking at the three. "Oh, _really_ now?" Akiko said, sounding as if she wasn't sold. "Yes, _really_ now." Yukine challenged, staring the girl down levelly.

"Then why are you wearing that hetai-ate if the village is so long gone?" Akiko questioned, accepting the challenge. "Akiko-san, you shouldn't…" Yume, the lavender haired girl reached out, but was stopped by Shiki placing a hand on Yume's shoulder and shaking his head. "Isn't it obvious, Akiko? She belonged to that village. And She survived." He growled in annoyance.

"O-Oh…My bad, S-Shiki-kun!" The red-head turned to her friend, blushing and making an embarrassed face as she attempted to look cute to cover up her major goof. Yukine fought a snicker at the obvious crush the red-head had on the dark haired boy. "Miss-san…" A soft voice chirped into the Yukine's ninja's ears. She turned to see it was Yume, reaching for her. "If you don't have a place to stay, you're certainly welcome to stay with us for awhile." She said, looking at her with gentle eyes as she touched Yukine's arm comfortingly. "We welcome all missing nin." She added. "Oh no…That's quite al—…" Yukine stopped, trailing off as she pondered the thought for a moment.

Sure, the Akatsuki knew she was alive, but they didn't know where she was headed right? And, they'd most likely assumed she was headed back home to Konoha, right? So what could the harm of staying with a group of friendly missing-nin and getting a few free meals be? Yukine mustered a small, polite smile. "Sure, as long as you don't mind my presence." She said sweetly.

"Ugh, un! She wasn't in that small village you said you stopped by, or Kumogakure, un!" Deidara whined childishly to Kisame, who sat perched across from Itachi near one of the wings of the bird. "Let's try going further; closer to Konohagakure." Kisame suggested sheepishly. "I doubt it'll get us anywhere. That stupid girl is strangely elusive." Sasori growled under her breath, his eyes portraying aggitation. He was upset that he hadn't been able to use Hiruko on the trip, considering the fact that the puppet still needed extensive repairs. "Let's just keep moving." Itachi growled, his gaze fixed somewhere else that the other three could not quite see. "Indeed, it hasn't been that long since we got back to base, so she couldn't have gotten too far…" Kisame mumbled. Just then, a certain blonde bomber had a rather intelligent thought.

"Wait, un. What if the girl thought Kisame would tell us she was alive—which he did—and decided that Konoha and the surrounding area would be the first places on our list to check for her?" Deidara asked, glancing back over his shoulder at the three men with a devious frin on his face. "That would mean she's much smarter than we'd ever pegged her for." Sasori admitted doggedly, scoffing at the very thought under his breath. "It would also mean that she would abandon the leaf completely and have become a missing nin by now." Itachi added. "And that would be a big problem considering Missing nin, with the exception of us, are nomads that travel the Ninja countries' aimlessly." Kisame grumbled, scowling at the thought.

"That's a stupid idea. We all know that she wouldn't ever even consider abandoning her village. She most likely will assume that will be her one place of refuge." Sasori growled, not wanting to believe that their target, and his self-appointed rival could be that smart. And, also not wanting to believe that the brat could actually be right on this one. However, all three of the men knew in their minds that Deidara's suggestion could very well be right. "Let's just check the area's she could have gotten to in a days time, and then if she's nowhere in sight, then we can start operating under Deidara's suspicions." Itachi declared. "Let's head in the direction of Kiri now, we might find something around there." Kisame said. And with that, Deidara gave a snort of contempt and then turned the bird in the direction of the Village hidden in the Mist.

Shortly after being brought to the roaming groups' equivelant of a 'Kage, Yukine was informed by a man by the same of Shishou, that she was allowed to stay for as long as she wished to. And soon, Yukine found herself wandering around the outskirts of their temporary "Territory". However, the three ninja's she'd met on her way into the Roaming Village were always close behind her. Eventually, after roaming a short while, she found a seat against a large Ginkgo tree that was just outside the hustle-and-bustle of the center of the group near a few fires.

She sat down and glanced up at the three 'Nin. "Is there a select reason as to why you're following me?" Yukine growled, her violet eyes piercing their gazes easily. "You're suspicious." Shiki admitted. "I'm your temporary guide until you've become aquainted with the our group." Yume said, bowing politely. Yukine nodded, and then directed her gaze toward the snotty red-head. "I'm following you because…" Akiko glanced away, a signature tsundere facial expression appearing on her face. "I also find you suspicious.." She finished lamely. She was painfully _obviously_ only there because Shiki, the boy was. "Hn. Why is it I'm suspicious?" Yukine said, looking at the three boredly as she leaned her head against the old Ginkgo's trunk. "Well, for starters, we don't even know your name, or the name of your ex-village." Shiki pointed out bluntly. "My names' Yukine Ayuzawa, and my former village was called Tsukigakure, or, in other words, The Village Hidden Beneath the Moon." Yukine replied. "Any other questions?" She added. "How do we know your village was _really_ destroyed, and you're not just a spy from one of the great Villages?" Akiko puffed.

"Well for starters, You can ask pretty much anyone who hadn't defected from their village before 12 years ago, and what would the "Great Villages" care what you're doing anyways? They've got bigger problems than a bunch of feather-ruffled groups of rogue ninja." Yukine growled. The group went quiet. They didn't like the fact that the outsider was most likely right.

In just half a day, the entire Roaming Village seemed to know of Yukine's arrival, and she was barraded with questions from every angle about where she'd come from, why, and how she'd come to be a missing nin. And it appeared her only defense was the girl whose hair vaguely shared the same colour as Yukine's eyes, Yume. The petite Ex-Sunagakure nin stood dutifully as if she were Yukine's guard and shoed any ninja who asked too man questions away politely whenever she noticed Yukine begin to grow overwhelmed. And it wasn't long before Yukine also began to notice the presence of Shiki and Akiko who always followed a distance behind.

"You know, Shero-san, you don't need to do this." Yukine said, her eyes on the grey, darkening sky as she sat against the same tree she had the day she'd come to this little make-shift village. "Please, Yukine-san, call me Yume." The lavender-headed girl said, her words accompanied by a warm smile. Yukine nodded awkwardly, remaining silent. "Not to mention, I don't mind it really, in a way you're sort of helping me with a secret plan of mine." She giggled. Yukine raised a brow, patting the seat beside her. Yume noticed this and obeyed, lowering herself onto the ground beside the brunette kunoichi. "Please, continue." Yukine said, nudging the girl to continue when she remained silent. "Well.." Yume began, poking her fingers together, a gesture that pulled at Yukine's heart strings slightly. Hinata use to do that when she talked about Naruto. "Akiko-san has liked Shiki-kun for a very long time…So I thoought if I got out of their way for awhile, may they could get somewhere…" She explained softly. "I see…" Yukine nodded, letting the info soak in. "So you're trying to get those two together?" She asked after a small silence. Yume nodded, putting on her best grin. The first one Yukine has seen on the sweet girls' face since she'd been in the "Village".

"Shiki-kun and I have been friends since just after we both became Missing-nin, we travelled for a really long time together, and I always noticed how lonely he seemed when he was off standing by himself…" Yume whispered, her eyes gazing across the nearby stream. "I've just…" She drew in a breath. "I've always wanted to give him that special someone, just so he wouldn't be alone anymore…" She looked at the sky as if it would give her an answer. Yukine glanced over her shoulder at Shiki who was kicking back on the branch of a nearby tree, his eyes never leaving the two girls. After a few heart beats of watching the boy, Yukine shifted her gaze down to Akiko, who was seated beneath the tree, dozing against it's trunk. "O-Oh my! I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have confided in you like that…" Yume stood, bowing apologetically. "Please forgive me, Yukine-san!" She squeaked, her eyes shut tight and her body rigid, as if preparing to be hit.

"It's fine, It's fine. Just sit back down Yum-san, you're going to grab attention." Yukine hissed, dragging the girl back down beside her, a small silence between the two following. "…I think I'm going to go for a walk." Yukine said after awhile, blowing out a sigh as she stood and dusted herself off, starting to walk away from the fair-skinned girl who sat staring after her. After a short distance she stopped. "Y'know…It's not my buisness…" Yukine began, still facing away from the young Ex-Suna nin. "But if you really want to give Sumire-san that special someone, you might want to ask him _who_ he wants that someone to be before you begin assumeing." She said, glancing at the girl of her shoulder with a knowing smile. Yume remained quiet, watching as Yukine disappeared into the shadows of people who were hustling-and-bustling against the glow of the evening fire.

[[A/N: Ohohoho. We're introducing some new characters. C: I hope you got a kick out of Akiko, Yume, and Shiki as much as I did. OTL. Nonetheless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for the lack of Akatsuki in this one. There just wasn't much for them TO do, considering the circumstances. And now for a short thing of "Where'd That Name Come From?"]]:

Yume Shero: I got Yume's name from watching Yumekui Merry, or, in English "Dream-eater Merry". xD I was watching the opening while writing about her.

Akiko Gasai: As many of you can most likely guess, Akiko's last name came from the ever-famous Yandere, Yuno Gasai from Mirai Nikki. As for her first name, I just started sifting through some of the female names on Google. /Shot.

Shiki Sumire: This guy's name actually was inspired by the Cheshire cat. I have no idea why, but "Sumire Shiki" reminds me of the Cheshire cat. Perhaps if the cat was Japanese that would be his name. ;v ;

AND THAT'S ALL FOR "Where'd That Name Come From?"! Sorry for being such a failure, guys. I promise I'll keep the rest of my After-Chapter Notes short from now on.


	8. Undercover: Target Practice!

HOAP

~ 8 ~

After awhile of heading in the direction of the Mist Village, the four men decided it would be best to stop on the outskirts of Amegakure's country on the edge of a small village. "Well, I'll go ask around about the Target in the village, un." Deidara volunteered as he landed the bird with lithe grace to the ground. "Good. Sasori, you'll accompany him." Itachi growled. "Itachi and I will set up camp here for a short while." Kisame said, hopping off the bird and immediately starting toward the forest in search of loose wood to help start the nights' fire. And with that, The four men went their separate ways.

"Hmmm." Deidara murmured, pausing for a moment to form a few quick hand signs and mumble something under his breath. Suddenly, in a small pinch of smoke, his Akatsuki cloak disappeared, leaving him in his outfit that lie beneath the heavy scarlet-cloud-embroidered uniform. Sasori shot him a glance and sighed, stopping to preform the same Jutsu, but instead, considering he was shirtless under the cloak, the cloak disappeared and was replaced by regular ninja garb. "Ready Danna, un?" Deidara grinned. Sasori nodded boredly. "Do you have the photo with you?" Sasori asked with an aggravated sigh. Deidara nodded, and then the two were off into the village.

It wasn't long before the men found their first interviewee either. A young, pretty girl was walking down the dirt-worn path out of the village with an older man just as the two Akatsuki members passed. "Ah, excuse me, un." Deidara started, gently touching the girls shoulder. The two people turned around, looking slightly surprised. "Me and my friend here," he paused to gesture to Sasori. "We're looking for our…uhm…" "We're looking for his girlfriend." Sasori finished for him, improvising. He could've said sister, but that would raise questions, considering none of them look anything like the target or each other. "Ah, yeah, un! My girlfriend, I was just wondering, we think she might be around here, could you look at this photograph and tell me if you've seen her?" Deidara asked, attempting to act as if worried as he pulled out the photo and handed it to the man and his female companion. "Lumina, does this girl look familiar to you?" The older man asked, in a rough voice. The girl studied the photo momentarily before nodding a bit. "Yes, Papa. I went hunting today with Miko and Suri and we saw a few kids by the stream where we fish." The girl said. "And that girl," She pointed to the Target. "Was one of them." She said, nodding for emphasis. "Are you sure that's who you saw?" Sasori questioned.

The girl nodded. "I've never seen someone with bright purple eyes. They almost glowed. They were absolutely gorgeous." Lumina, the young girl said, almost as if a little jealous. Sasori fought the urge to roll his eyes in exasperation. "I see, un. Could you direct us to this…stream?" He asked, fighting the intense desire to smirk in satisfaction. "Of course," The girl said with a sweet smile before giving the directions.

Meanwhile, Itachi and Kisame were lugging fire wood into the middle of the small clearing where Deidara had parked them. "I hope they come back with some useful info." Kisame muttered, dropping a huge log onto the pile. "Now to find something to light the fire with…" He added, hunting for some rocks. "Kisame." Itachi's voice pierced the Kiri-nin's ears. "Hm?" He replied half-heartedly, still searching about for something to light the fire with. "There is some flint beside your feet." Came the emotionless response. Kisame looked down, and sure enough, the Uchiha had been right. Two small rocks perfect for the job of kindling a flame sat by his heel. He bent down and quickly picked the up. "Here, you do it." Kisame said, handing his partner the flint. Kisame didn't much care for fire, which he made obvious by his actions whilst around it.

Itachi took the stones and quickly kindled the flame, watching as the lit-up rocks hit the cluster of branches and slowly swallow them in it's hollow light. As they sat in the silence watching the flames eagerly devour the sticks, both men were thinking the exact same thought. Kisame hadn't quite been himself since his adventure with the Target. He'd become a little more…_human_. Suddenly, a rustle was heard from the brush on the far side of the clearing. The two men immediately snapped their attention toward the sound, only to see Sasori and Deidara make their way to them. They couldn't help but notice the absolutely diabolical grin on Deidara's face either. "Well, What is it?" Kisame spat when neither of them said a word. "We've located the girl." Sasori said, attempting to keep the satisfaction out of his voice. "Well, where is she then?" "She's with some people down by a stream or around it! Apparently it's a group of roaming _missing-nin_." The blonde bomber said, putting emphasis on the 'Missing-nin' part. So Deidara had been right. The girl had become a missing ninja.

"Did you get directions to the stream?" Kisame asked, a glint of excitement in his eyes. "Yep, un!" Deidara yelped. "Then let us go. Perhaps we can get something to eat as well." Itachi said. And with that, the four men put out the fire and abandoned the camp site. They were going to infiltrate the Village.

Yukine yawned, leaning back on top of a giant boulder as she took a bite of her fried fish on a stick. Her eyes were set on the sunset, and her ears were occupied by the distant sound of the water sloshing against the bank of the stream and the chatter of everyone around the fire just a few yards away. She smiled. It was nice to have some peace, and to be with people who weren't there to hurt her.

But, it wasn't long before her peace was interrupted by the sudden up in the volume of the chatter going on around the huge fire. Suddenly, Yume appeared out of the crowds, lead by a small girl. Eventually, they reached Yukine's boulder. The lavender-eyed Kunoichi finished her fish and sat up and looked at them. "What's the problem? You both look excited." Yukine said. "Yukine-san, we have new visitors! More missing nin!" Yume said with a smile. "C'mon!" The little girl whined. "I want to go see the pretty men again!" She pouted, tugging on Yume's dress. Yukine held back a snort of laughter. Pretty men? Alright, she had to see this. "Fine, let's go then." She said, hopping off the boulder and walking back to the big fire to see a bunch of girls crowding what looked to be about four men.

"Well aren't they popular?" Yukine laughed. Yume smiled. "It would appear so. Akiko seems to be enjoying their presence as well." She said, pointing out the fiery red head. She was fighting her way to the front of the men's' vision for some attention. "Well, at least she's ambitious." Yukine commented as the two girls stood by the fire, watching the scene play out before them. It hadn't quite registered with Yukine who the men were yet, as they were half blocked from her view by the masses of women surrounding them.

The four missing nin had found the stream and landed the bird well out of sight of the people of the roaming nin village. "Alright, don't forget to disguise your cloaks, un." Deidara commented, pausing to quickly preform the jutsu so that he looked as if he were an average missing nin. The others did the same. Most people would only be able to recognize the men by their cloaks and Itachi's eyes anyways, so as long as they kept both _off_ they would be fine.

After disguising themselves, the men made their way across the small stream and around the edge of what the suspected was their territory, eventually coming to a small worn path that lead right to their camp. Their presence was noted immediately, and they were stopped by 2 men guarding the entrance to the camp. "Missing nin come for a place to stay, eh?" The tall one questioned. They all nodded in unison. "Come with us then. We'll take you to Shishou-sama." The second one replied with a gruff voice. Eventually they were lead to whom they assumed was the leader of the group of missing nin. "Ah, I see? Travelling nin looking for a place to stay?" The older man asked. "Yes sir." They replied simultaneously. The man looked them over, and then muttered something under his breath, a hint of what seemed to be recognition in his eyes. "Very well then," He grinned. "You may stay. Dinner is being served as we speak. Please feel free to help yourselves." The old man said with a smile that looked painfully aged.

The men nodded. "Thank you." They said before bowing out of the leader's tent and let themselves be lead into heart of the temporary village. However, within moments of the announcement of their presence, the majority of the women in the village surrounded them. "Uhm…." Deidara sweat dropped. "Oh god. Are we going to get raped?" Kisame asked, staring down at the pining girls. "…Stand your ground." Itachi and Sasori muttered. Suddenly, after what seemed like an eternity, a familiar voice floated into their ears. "Well aren't they popular?" came the amused voice of a girl. One girl in particular. Yukine Ayuzawa. _The Target. _"That's the target, un!" Deidara hissed into Sasori's ear. And the red headed ex-Suna nin glanced over to see none other than the girl that had destroyed his beloved Hiruko.

"Humph." Was all Sasori replied. "Ayuzawa-san." Kisame muttered into Itachi's ear. He nodded, knowing that was the Targets last name. It appeared they had found just who they were looking for. Now all that was left was for them to gain her trust for a few nights and then steal her away back to base. Even if it meant enduring scary rabid fangirls.

[[A/N: SORRY THIS ONE WAS KIND OF SHORT GUIZE. ;v; Hope you liked it anyways. A lot happened this weekend so It's sort of edited like a retard. Sorry for the unbearable spelling errors if they existed.]]


	9. Infiltration: Village Of The Roamning!

HOAP

~ 9 ~

Yukine snickered at the men one more time before turning her attention away. "They must be something to look at to get that much attention right, Yume-san?" Yukine said, smiling at her new aquantaince. Yume looked a little surprised; Yukine hadn't really genuinely smiled since she'd been here until just now. The Lavender-haired girl only returned her smile and nodded. "Hehehee. They must be." She winked. Suddenly, Yukine felt a tugging at her shirt. "Hmm?" Yukine looked down to see a girl of about 10 or so grabbing at her. "Ayuzawa-san, Ayuzawa-san! Could you lift me up so I can see the new-comers?" She whined. The two girls looked surprised. "I would ask Yume, but you're a bit taller!" The girl defended. Yukine stared at her in surprise a bit longer. "Please, Ayuzawa-san?" She asked, puppy-dogging her with the eyes of a ten year old most people couldn't resist. "Oh, alright. Com'ere girlie-girl." Yukine said with a grin, lifting her up onto her shoulders. "Let's go see the pretty men, coming Yume-san?" Yukine asked, finally relaxing a bit.

Yume smiled and nodded, following Yukine into the crowds. "Alright. Can you see?" Yukine called up. "No! I need to stand up on your shoulders I think!" The girl whined. "Alright, I've got you!" Yukine assured, helping the girl stand up and steadying her balance with the aid of her hands. "What do you see now?" Yukine said, being jostled forward little bit little. "I see blonde hair and blue hair and-!" The girl was cut off by Yukine being shoved and lurching forward. "DAMMIT NOO!" Yukine shouted as the small girl shot forward into the air. "MARINA-CHAN!" Yukine shouted bursting out of the crowd to catch the girl. "AYUZAWA-SAN!" The girl cried out. Yukine had eventually in that moment, managed to slam into a bunch of people, slam into more people, and still flip over in time to catch the falling girl safely In her arms. Marina sat up and looked down at Yukine who was breathing heavily on the ground. "Are you alright,…girlie?" She asked, smiling tiredly at her. Marina nodded. "Woah, un! You okay? You took a serious fall." A blonde man said, sprinting up to her. "Y-Yeah…" Yukine cringed.

"Here, Let me help you up." She heard a familiar rough voice say. She noticed the pale hand reaching out for her and took it, hoisting the girl into her arms. "Marina-chan, are you alright?" Yukine asked frettingly, surprising mostly anyone who had talked to the girl at any point before the event. "I'm fine, Yukine-chan." Marina smiled. She had changed her honourific. "Thanks for saving me." She said as she hopped out of Yukine's arms. "Though you wouldn't of had to if I hadn't asked to see the new-comers…" She mumbled, looking guilty. "No, It wasn't your fault, Marina-chan. It was those damn fangirls surrounding those idiots." She sighed. "Excuse me, miss, un. But 'those idiots' are standing right here." One said. Yukine stood up and dusted herself, turning around to let her eyes alight on four men. Four oddly, suspiciously familiar men. "Do I know you from somewhere?" She asked curiously. They immediately took on a look of panic. "N-No, un! Of course not. We're new to this area of the country. Just passing through to camp out for a couple of nights is all, un." The blond assured with a sheepish grin. "I see. I'm new here too. I just arrived a day or two ago." Yukine commented blandly.

"Oh really?" The pale one with the striking-blue hair said, grinning sharply at her. "Mhm—Uh…You might want to look behind you…" Yukine murmured, staring past them. "Huh? What is i—Oh god. Are they demons or something, un?!" The blonde squeaked in surprise. Yukine snickered under her breath. "Man. It must suck to be you guys right now." She shook her head with a small choke of laughter before attemtping to flee the scene. "Hey, wait Ayuzawa-san!" The Blue-haired man called. Yukine stopped, her body gone rigid. She turned to look at him. "H-How do you know my name..?" She asked. He took a panicked look on. The other three men traded glances. "Uh, I heard the young girl call your name. I-Is she your..sister?" He tried to play it cool. "oh…I see." Yukine nodded. "And no. She's just one of the children here who seem to like me." Yukine said, watching as Marina sprinted off to go find her brother, losing interest in the "handsome new strangers" exceedingly quickly. "Anyways then, I'm gonna go." She murmured. "Wait, Ayuzawa-san. We don't know your full name, or where you came from, un." The blunette said, attempting to seem like a curious stranger despite already being privy to this information.

"Why is it necessary to know if the likely hood of us seeing each other again a few nights from now is slim to none?" She challenged. "Because it's the polite thing to do." The red head growled. Yukine raised a brow, shivers tracing down her spine at the familiarity of the cold voice. _What was so familiar about these men that she couldn't quite shake? _"Sasori-danna, un! Don't sound so rude!" The blonde hissed into his friends ear. "Shut up, brat." The red head snapped again. "Anyways, it'd be nice to make some aquaintances on the road, you know? Just in case we do see one another again." The pale, almost bluish man spoke. "I see.." Yukine muttered. After awhile she sighed, running a hand through her hair. Not like giving her name would hurt anyone, right? "Fine." She growled, allowing them to win.

"But, uh. First…Can we move away from your scary fangi—!" Yukine was cut off. "Are you trying to make a move on my man?" The red headed fireball, Akiko piped up, busting through the crowd. Yukine groaned, face-palming at this. "Gasai-san, No. Just,….no." Yukine shook her head disapointedly at the girl. It appeared that Yukine would have to set to trolling the poor child to get some peace. "Don't you have a 'Shiki-kun' to be chasing anyway?" She growled. Akiko reddened. "Or has your allegience to Sumire-kun sprung a leak when these handsome men entered your sights?" Yukine addded, challenging the girl calmly. Akiko was burning red now. "I-I-I…can do what I want! That's none of your buisness!" She fumed. Yukine sighed. This was awfully easy. "I've got better things to do than to deal with your love-blinded eyeballs, alright? I'm not trying to steal your 'man', whoever the hell he's supposed to be. I was just being _polite_. You've heard of that word before, Gasai-san, haven't you?" Yukine growled. "Because you know, as of right now, you are currently being _opposite_ of the word 'Polite', which means you're disrespecting your 'man' and not just me too." Yukine said, letting the sentence seep into her mind. One thing Yukine had on her side was that she was good at word play.

Akiko blushed immediately, turned to the men and bowed her respects and apologies. "I'm so sorry!" She squeaked. They nodded, watching her flee. "Well, If you still want to do your introductions, I'll be where it's not so full of women." Yukine said, and with that, she started off around the fangirls, the four disguised Akatsuki members following her closely—Or at least trying to.

Soon they were in a less crowded part of the small Missing-nin town, and the Akatsuki, who had lost sight of the girl for about ten minutes, eventually found her nibbling on her second fried fish of the night away from the crowds by a stream on a large boulder. She was leaning back, her eyes on the stars. She looked down when she sensed their presence. "So you found me, eh? Nice work." She grinned. No reply. "Nonetheless, you wanted to know who I was right? So ask me." She asked, her eyes moving back to the black and white polka dotted sky.

"_Nonethel__ess, you wanted to to know who I was right? So ask me.__"_

Something occurred to all four men at that moment. Those words hinted something. Her tone of voice and the glint in her eyes said she knew something. No…That was wrong. She didn't know. But she was suspicious. And rightfully so. This was the four men's first error: Pursuing the girl in the first place. They should have played it cool. And they didn't.

Each member cursed this painfully obvious mistake in their head as they watched the girl tear the flesh from her fish with her teeth and swallow it with a satisfied smile. However, now was not the time to wallow in mistakes; but make sure no more mistakes would occur in the future as of right this very moment. This mission _could not_ fail. Or they would all die. Every single one of them.

"Well, What's your full name, for starters, un? The blonde asked, sitting down beside the rock. "Ayuzawa, Yukine." She relayed. "And yourselves?" She asked, biting into her fish again. "I'm Iwa, Deidara, un. At your service." The blonde smirked, almost flirtaciously. "Akasuna No Sasori." The one with red-hair relayed. "That name sounds familiar." Yukine said dreamishly, however she dismissed it's importance quickly. At first, the four men thought it would be okay for Sasori and Deidara to relay their names and Kisame and Itachi to change theirs, but it now appeared that was another bad idea. This was the Akatsuki's second error. "I'm Hiro Takamura." The pale, almost blue man said with a toothy grin. "Kaito kizuku…" The black haired one muttered. "I see…" She murmured. "What interesting names." She said, closing her eyes as she layed the now fishless-stick beside her. "I hope you enjoy your stay…some of the people here are really nice…" She said softly, sleep starting to take her.

Something about Ayuzawa, Yukine seperated her from most of the general consensus. And what that something was, was a mystery to everyone; including herself. However, it was something so painfully obvious that one just may over-look it. The Akatsuki had surely done so many times. Even Yukine herself over-looked it from time to time. It was a small something with a big affect. And it would save her more times then she would ever know.

[[A/N: HNNNNG. I'm so sorry about being like a week late with this chapter. ; v ; I've been so sick lately it's rediculous, /dies. I posted a Journal on my DeviantART addressing my lateness for the chapters but then I remembered none of you probably go to my dA. So, if you'd like regular updates on whether or not chapters will be delayed, feel free to watch me on Deviant art! [The link is on my Profile here, or just go to the site and put in "MrFuddles" you'll surely find something then!] Anyways, thank you all for your support in my chapters so far! =D I hope you look forward to Chapter ten, I know I do! Anyways, I hope you all are having, and will continue to have a wonderful Spring Break! ]]


	10. Operation: Spear-Fishing!

HOAP

~ 10 ~

Under-Cover Names Reminder!:

Uchiha, Itachi — Kaito Kizuku

Hoshigaki, Kisame — Hiro Takamura

Deidara and Sasori kept their names like idiots! 8D [[Because I can't write anything good whilst sick.]]

Yukine awoke stiffly. Sleeping on that giant boulder definitely hadn't made for a comfortable bed, but it was away from everyone else and was quiet. She sat up and stretched, attempting to get the kinks out of her back and neck with a tired sigh. "Good morning, Yukine-san." The soft voice of Yume could be heard from below the boulder. "Oh, hey Yume-sa—OW, OH GOD WHY!" Yukine squeaked with pain. She had turned around too fast and the kink in her neck had popped, the pain sending her rolling down the boulder and face-first into the ground.

Yume stared down at her, and then burst into laughter. "W-What was that?!" She laughed as Shiki came to join the two. Yukine sat up and dusted herself off, letting the pain ebb away. "That was me turning my neck to fast…" She muttered moodily as she stood up. Yume smiled and patted her shoulder, only to be startled by Shiki finally making his presence known. "Good morning, Yume-chan." He said with a small smile. "Eep!" She squeaked, landing in Yukine's arms bridal style. ". . .Uhm." The two managed awkwardly, looking at the girl. "O-oh Shiki-kun…It's just you." Yume sweat-dropped, hopping out of Yukine's arms and apologizing profusely before turning to her long-time friend. "Now that Ayuzawa's up, are you two ready to go get breakfast?" The dark haired nin asked nonchalantly. Yume nodded, glancing back at Yukine for confirmation that she'd be going too. The violet-eyed nin only gave a nod, and soon the three were off.

After arriving at the breakfast table, Yukine seated herself and began to nibble on a sweet roll. "Morning, un." A familiar speech impediment rang in her ear. "Hm..? Oh, G'morning.." Yukine murmured, glancing up at the men from yesterday as she swallowed a part of her roll. "is that all you'll be eating, Yukine-san?" Yume asked. "Yeah, I'm not much of a morning eater anyways." She smiled awkwardly. She was still getting use to the idea of staying in this place. Though, Yukine was well aware that she needed to get moving to keep the Akatsuki off her tail, she just couldn't get the nerve up to leave this bustling, small roaming village just yet. "Well, alright then." Yume smiled before going back to her meal. Yukine glanced around the table. Various people sat all up and down the giant pic-nicesque table. All from different villages, walks of lives, families, and pasts. She smiled a little to herself. She had been able to open a little more here. She didn't feel as closed in. It was nice.

After breakfast, everyone separated, going their own ways for the day. The village was especially busy today considering Shishou, the leader of the roaming group, had declared over breakfast that in one days time, the village would make it's move to a new land, so things were being packed and readied for the journey ahead.

Meanwhile, as the others prepared for the move, Yukine, two of the new men, Akiko, and about 5 other's were sent out as a Hunting Party to grab some storable rations for the journey as well as food for the nights big celebratory dinner to initiate the big move officially. "Alright, Ayuzawa, two new guys, we want you to go with Akiko-san and do some spear-fishing. The rest of us will split into two separate groups; Large mammal hunting, and small animal trapping." The leader of the hunting party declared once the group was far enough into the woods. Everyone nodded. "We'll meet back here an hour before sunset, sound good?" He asked with a thumbs up. "Yes Miako-sama!" Everyone said in unison and headed off their separate ways with their separate supplies.

Soon Yukine's group reached the stream in which they'd be fishing. Akiko quickly began to undress herself. "Uhm…Gasai-san, what are you doing?" Yukine asked awkwardly, watching the girl strip down to a bathing suit. "Getting ready to spear fish, why, didn't you bring a bathing suit?" She asked with a smirk. "I don't think you need to spear fish in a bathing suit." Yukine said, taking off her sandals and hopping into the water as her shorts were just slightly above the knee and unreachable by the water. "C'mon Kaito-kun, Sasori-kun!" The red-headed girl squeaked, blushing happily. The men hesitated a bit. Yukine noticed this, and decided to challenge them. "Don't know how to do it?" She asked with a grin, twirling her spear.

The two stayed silent. Yukine and Akiko took this as a yes. "Come on, get into the water, we'll teach you." She sighed. Akiko grew excited about it. "Alright Akiko, you're the fangirl, you choose your student." The lavender eyed girl said. Akiko immediately reached for the red head. "Right then, Kizuku-kun was it?" She asked, looking at the dark haired boy, a spark of familiarity manifesting in her gut as she gazed upon him. Why did some parts of this boy look familiar, and others so foreign…? "Yes.." He murmured, his voice deep. "Right then, c'mere." She said, moving to the side. "Alright, now it's all in your technique, how you grip the spear and where you're standing and positioning your weapon, okay?" Yukine said, looking at the boy as he nodded. "Now, you want to face the way the fish are going, not away from it, so turn around…" She murmured, letting him complete the task. "Now, position your hands like this, here…and point your spear right about..no, stop wiggling!" She scolded, grabbing his hands roughly and positioning the spear at an acute angle down toward the crystal clear waters.

"Now, when you see the fish, go for the head, alright? It's a quick kill, and painless for the poor baby." She whispered in his ear from behind him. Itachi looked back at her once before continuing to wait for the fish. All was still in the waters for about five minutes until a medium sized salmon began speeding upstream and bolted right between Itachi & Yukine's legs. "Alright, 1…2, Stab it!" She shouted, helping to guide his hands half way, and then letting them slip from her grip to do the rest as he nailed the fish directly where she had first indicated. A perfect hit. The fish perished immediately on contact. "Nice, nice. Now let's see you do one all your own, Kizuku-san." She said, smiling. Yukine seemed to relax around them when she viewed them as only students; she was used to a classroom environment from when she was forced to stay back in Konoha for those few months before the Akatsuki had ruined everything. Itachi nodded before re-placing his eyes back on the stream.

While Itachi was waiting on his next fish to come by, Yukine glanced over to see how Sasori and Akiko were doing. She ended up fighting back a huge fit of giggling laughter at what she saw. Akiko had used the time to press every INCH of her body against the poor red-headed newbie and wasn't even really teaching him anything. "Gasai-san," Yukine called. "I think it would be embarrassing for Aksuna-san if he didn't catch one single fish on this little expedition, especially in front of his comrade here. What's say you begin teaching him something other than _female anatomy _to save him a bit of grief?" Yukine asked, as she noticed the uncomfortable look the red-headed boy contained on his face. Akiko pouted. "Mind your own business devil-eyes!" She spat, sticking her tongue out at the girl. "Devil eyes, eh? That's a new one." Yukine grinned, her eyes glinting strangely in the sunlight. "Egh, whatever!" She growled. "You think you can teach him any better?" Akiko growled, all eyes leaning onto the young Uchiha. He had just set his sights on his second fish and immediately, once again nailed his target. "Well, yeah. He's catching fish on his own and I didn't even have to sell my body to him! Innit somethin', babe?" She laughed sarcastically.

This caused Akiko to fume. "I'm the senior Villager here! Not to mention I'm better at spearing the-!" And at that moment, a fairly nice sized cat fish sprang from the water and slapped the fiery-redhead right smack in the face, sending Yukine barreling to the bank in a fit of laughter as the young girl let out a shrill scream. The other two looked amused as they watched. "It cut me!" She shouted, staring at the blood in shock. "IT CUT ME! STUPID SLIMY DISGUSTING FISH!" She cried out, the two cuts on her cheeks welling with blood. Yukine was still bursting with laughter though, and didn't hear her at first. "Oooh, this is so embarrassing!" She squealed, wincing as she touched the wound. Meanwhile, Yukine had FINALLY calmed down from her bout and was whiping tears from her eyes. She sighed, standing up. "Ginger, get over here and let me have a look." She said, trying to keep her serious face on, but failing as a grin broke out on her lips. "No!" "Don't tell me you're afraid of medical ninja." The brunette teased. Akiko raised a brow. "You're a medic nin?" She scoffed. "Indeed, I was never fully trained, but I've got a fair amount of training under my belt." She said. "Ayuzawa, Yukine, Medical ninja that'll still kick your ass, at your service." She winked with a bow. The girl scoffed. "no way! If you're a medic nin, there's no way you could beat me." She grinned. "I was trained like your average ninja for a good portion of my life, so don't get cocky, after all, I still have traditional moves of the Moon to carry on, do I not?" She challenged.

Akiko went silent at that. "You're a medical ninja?" Sasori asked, forcing himself out of his shell. He hated acting like another person. This was stupid. "Yes, well, I can heal fairly well." She said, throwing up a victory sign. "Now, Gasai-san, do I have to pin you down in front of these _lovely men_, or will you let me do this willingly?" She asked, her voice positively dripping with sarcasm. "Try me." She growled. "I apologize to you boys in advance." She said, glancing at the men before soundlessly springing into the air as if she were an attacking panther, ready to tear it's prey to pieces. Immediately, Akiko attempted to hide behind one of the men, but they offered little safety as they stepped aside and let the girl be pounced. Sasori and Itachi could only watch as Yukine sat on top of Akiko, pinning her down as best as she could and healing her face. "STOP WIGGLING YOU RED-HEADED IDIOT!" She shouted. "UGH! STOP IT! I'M HEALED! GET OFF ME YOU FAT-ASS!" "DON'T BE STUPID, I'M 5'2 AND SOME AMOUNT OF KILO'S!" "WHATEVER! HOW CAN YOU NOT KNOW YOUR OWN WEIGHT?" "BECAUSE I DON'T GIVE A DAMN HOW MUCH I WEIGH." And then the healing process was complete.

Sometime later, about an hour before sunset, the gang had calmed down and managed to capture about 10 fish a piece, all pretty decently sized, which was about 40 fish, enough to serve as rations and part of the big feast of the night. On the way back, all was quiet. But it wasn't an awkward quiet; it was a comfortable silence that none of the four minded.

"Hey, how was the spear-fishing?" The leader of the hunting party asked as he spotted the group arrive back at the meeting spot. "We each caught ten a piece." Akiko relayed. "That's perfect! We got one buck and some rabbits and even a few roaming chickens!" They grinned, holding up their catch. All in all, it was a great day for hunting. "Alright everyone, now that all of the groups are present, let's head back. Shishou-sama will most definitely be proud." The hunting party leader grinned. And then the trek back to the camp began. It appeared the Akatsuki's plan of action would be changing. Drastically.

[[A/N: HI GUYS! /shot, shot, shot I'm sorry the last two or three chapters have been crappy fillers. ;v ; I was just trying to get past the infiltration part and get you to where the real story begins, but there's no sense in rushing when you're not Russian right? /fail joke. Well, I hope the chapters are still enjoyable despite not being my best lately. OTL I'll try harder next chapter. /diesnow]]


	11. Blown Cover: Intentions Revealed!

HOAP

~ 11 ~

Tonight was the night of the Land-Leaving feast that Shishou, the Village Elder [Or Chief], had every time the Village of the Roaming prepared to make yet another journey to a new land to settle down in for another few weeks. It was a feast full of dancing, food, laughter, singing, and games for the children. And it was just a few hours away. Yukine glanced up at the sunset as it began to set on it's way; sinking silently behind the broad forest of trees as day gave way to night. "Yukine-san, are you excited for the feast?" Yume said with a smile. "Sort of. But it sounds more like a festival than a feast." Yukine gave a sheepish grin. She was nervous. She didn't know whether she was going to leave this village when it departed or if she would go with them on their travels. But, no matter her decision; it would have to be made _tonight_. "You're right, it does sound a little bit more like a festival, doesn't it?" the lavender headed girl giggled. "Nonetheless, it's a gathering of good-byes. Tonight we will prepare for our leave and also we will prepare to say good-bye to any friends that will decide to leave us in the morning." She murmured, looking at Yukine gently. The Ex-Suna nin was obviously trying gauge whether she would be staying with them or not.

Yukine grinned. "I see. You're an interesting group of people. I've never met a bunch of missing nin quite like you all." The bright-eyed Kunoichi said with a small smile. "Is that so?" Yume asked with a grin. "It is _very_ so." Yukine replied with a smirk. "Anyways,…You're going to be in one of the dances tonight, are you not?" The brunette Kunoichi asked. Yume nodded happily. "Yes!" "Then you should probably go get ready, right? Aren't you on in less than an hour?" Yukine asked, tilting her head to the side as she pointed toward the small stage that was being set up. "Ah, you're right!—Ah, Yukine-san, are you sure you wouldn't like to participate in some of the festivities like dancing or singing? We still have room, and the dances are very simple." Yume asked over her shoulder, glancing at her new friend. "No, Thank you. I don't dance or sing much. It's not my style." The Tsuki-nin sweat-dropped, holding her hands up; palms out to deter her friend from trying any further. "Alright then, talk to you later!" Yume said, waving quickly over her shoulder before sprinting off across the grassy plain toward where the other girls were getting dressed and ready.

Yukine sighed, running a hand through her hair as she took one last glance at the sky. The sun had almost completely disappeared beneath the trees now. The festivities would soon begin.

The sky had been officially claimed by the moon by the time Yukine started off back to the main Camp where the festivities were just starting to pick up and get underway. "Hey, un!" Deidara called to her, trying to catch up. "Hm?" Yukine asked. "Aren't you participating in any of the festivities, un?" He asked, grinning as his friends; Kaito, Hiro, and Sasori. "No, Why?" Yukine replied, looking confused. "Well, uh. I was just thinking; most if not all of the other girls are…So…" He scratched his head awkwardly as he trailed off. "I'm not really very feminine, if you haven't already noticed. I prefer to just eat and walk around…though, I did promise a certain someone I'd watch their performance." Yukine said with a ghost of a smile. "Is it the lavender haired girl?" Kisame asked. "Yes, Hiro-san. But her name is _Yume_." She corrected the boy over her shoulder as she started away.

"Wait, un!" Deidara called. "Where do you think you're going?" Sasori asked, trying to hold back the bitter tone in his voice. "To grab something to eat before Yume-san's performance…?" Yukine replied, looking a little creeped out by the men's' reaction to her leaving. "Oh. We'll go with." Sasori muttered. The Lavender-eyed Kunoichi stared at the men for a long moment. Ever since she'd met them, something seemed off. They seemed…almost as if…they didn't fit who they claimed to be. And two of the men looked _very_ familiar to her. But she just couldn't place their faces with the correct name. Yukine bit her lip, her eyes suspiciously looking the men over for any other clue. "You four have been stuck to my hip since you arrived." She murmured, staring them dead in the eye. "There are a hundred other, prettier girls clamoring for your attention, and yet you stick to _me_. I don't know why you're following me, what you want, or what ever. And I don't care. So, let's get one thing straight," She growled, pausing for a moment to adjust her gaze. "I'm not the fool you take me for. So tread lightly." She said, her gaze resting unrelentingly on the four men who were trying to hold back their surprise.

"However, tonight is everyone's last night here. So for now, I will let it slide. So stick your agenda's somewhere else for tonight and enjoy yourselves." Yukine snapped, looking off toward the food stands. "I'm going to go get food." She added before disappearing into the crowds.

"That girl…" Sasori growled. "…She's smarter than we ever thought." Kisame admitted. "Indeed, un. And here I thought by the way she was acting that we were doing good..." Deidara pouted. "Looks like we'll have to act faster than we thought." The blue-haired man said. "Indeed. At the end of the festivities tonight, when everyone settles down by the fire, we'll take the girl." Itachi murmured. "For now though, enjoy." The Uchiha muttered. "Right then." Kisame said with a grin. "Let's keep tailing her.." Sasori spat under his breath. And so, with that, the four Akatsuki members set out to go find their lost "companion" by the food stands.

They found Yukine five minutes later with some taiyaki in hand. "Eh? Still planning to follow me?" She asked. They remained silent. She sighed. "…Persistent jerks…" She growled.

Yukine noticed the men staring toward the food stands. Well, three of them at least. She let out a small aggravated sigh. She still didn't know why these men were following her, or why they looked so familiar [yet not so familiar, considering they all changed their appearances slightly.]. Every bone in her body told her to not give them any form of kindness, but seeing as she didn't have any proof of them being against her in some way, she had no choice but to be hospitable. At least for tonight. Because, after tonight; she'd make sure she never saw any of them again. Yukine had made the decision to leave early in the morning before day break, after all, The Akatsuki were still out there looking for her, so staying in one place for too long could get dangerous.

And with this in mind; the young newly-missing-nin pulled out her wallet and went to the stand; watching closely for what stand each man was staring at. And ten minutes later, she reappeared with more food. She held out the food to the four men and turned her head. "Go ahead. Take your pick." She grumbled. They stared at her in surprise. "What are you doing, un…?" He asked. "I saw you looking at the food, and figured you didn't have enough money, and I don't have any proof that you're out to get me, I really have no reason to be rude to you, at least for tonight…So I bought you guys food because you seemed hungry." She spat. "So, stop staring at it and take it!" She added, shoving it closer to them. "Of course." Kisame [Hiro] grinned, pulling the fried fish out of her hand. "…Thanks, un!" Deidara smiled, pulling the Meat bun. Next was the Uchiha [Kaito]. "Thank…you…" He muttered, pulling the dango. "I guess that leaves the Cinnamon roll for you, Sasori-san." Yukine said, handing it to him. "I don't e—." He was cut off by Deidara elbowing him in the ribs. He looked at his partner and grumbled something under his breath, taking the cinnamon roll. "….Thanks." He murmured.

And with that, Yukine looked to check the time. "..Oh snap! Yume-san's thing is starting…!" She squeaked. "Come on, stalkers! We'll be late!" She called over her shoulder as she bolted swiftly into the crowds, weaving expertly as she fought her way toward the stage. Eventually, she succeeded and the boys were right behind her when the "show" started. Yukine smiled, watching as the girls ventured onto the stage, Akiko and Yume among the 10 girls on stage. They began to dance and sing and sent everyone in an uproar with the happy music. "I never knew Yume-san could dance so well…" The Tsukigakure nin commented. "It's the one thing she really loves to do. Both her and Akiko." Shiki replied, standing beside her. "I see." "I'm surprised you came to see her performance." He said suddenly. Yukine looked at him. "Why is that?" She asked, a little shocked. "You seemed like you didn't care about any of us." He said, looking at her straightly. She smiled a little. "I tried not to, honestly." Yukine said, her eyes on the stage, watching the girls sing and dance, the four Akatsuki members standing beside her; silently listening in on her conversation.

The dark haired boy looked at her, signaling for her to continue. "I knew I was going to leave. I didn't want any attachments…I've lost a lot of people since becoming a Missing-nin, you know…I didn't want to lose anymore." She murmured softly. Shiki looked at her. "You didn't have to become a missing-nin you had a choice—." "There _was never_ choice for me, Sumire-san." She said, watching the girls. He went silent then, knowing the conversation was lost. "…It's not any of my business, but you should tell Yume-san how you feel." She said suddenly. He looked surprised. "Wh-Wh-What?! HOW DID YOU…?" He shot back, a blush hot on his cheeks. "The way you look at her; it's very obvious." Yukine smiled, almost innocently. "Anyways," She began, leaning on the stage, her eyes fixed directly on the lavender haired girl. "I think you'll find the results favorable if you do, Sumire-san. But, what do I know, right?" Yukine asked, grinning at the boy before turning her head back to the stage as she began to hum along to the song. The four men watched the girl. To them she was a strange creature. She was cruel yet kind; blunt yet shy. How could she be both at the same time? They just didn't understand.

After the performance was over, everyone was directed toward the camp where a huge fire was brewing for everyone to sit by and finish out the night with "Shishou-sama's Farewell Speech". Once all of the 'Nin were present and seated, Shishou stood on his make-shift podium and began his speech.

"_Dear friends, fellow missing nin…__These past few weeks we have spent with you have been nothing short of memorable…"_

The speech was long, and very drawn out, although Yukine didn't pay much attention to it. She had been too busy noticing that everyone was present with exception of the four men that had been following her around for the majority of her stay here. Where had they gone off to all of a sudden? This made the lavender-eyed girl feel _very_ uneasy; something about this wasn't right. Perhaps her hunch about them being enemies was right after all. Her gut was telling her to run. Speed as fast as she could out of there. But she ignorantly disregarded her feelings. Bad mistake.

"…_I wish you all a safe trips on your separate__ journeys, and hope that we will all someday meet again. God be with you all, and have a good nigh-_."

Suddenly, a swishing sound was heard from the trees, interrupting the end of Shishou's speech. That's when four men appeared in cloaks. "EH?! Who are they!" "State your business!" "Shall we attack them, Shishou-sama?" Some of the elders' guards asked, getting into a battle-ready position. Shishou only shook his head, warmly smiling at the cloaked men who stepped out of the shadows, their forms glowing by the light of the fire. "I was wondering when you would finally reveal yourselves." The old man smiled. The four criminals looked surprised by this. "You knew, eh?" Kisame grinned. "Of course I did, _Hiro-kun_." Shishou teased. And that's when realization struck. Yukine's eyes widened. The four men that had been following her….had been members of the Akatsuki. She stared, dumbfounded by their Scarlet cloud embroidered cloaks. It seemed as if all of the other members of the village had realized this too, causing excitement to ripple throughout the crowd. "Why did you not run us out then, un?" Deidara asked, unable to help himself.

"How could we run out the very men who inspire our little establishment? You're all part of an organization that is home to the strongest Ninja ever to separate from their villages." He smiled. They stared at him. "We….inspired your village…?" They asked. Shishou nodded. "I see." Itachi murmured. "Nonetheless, I assume you are here for a reason. May I ask what it is we can be of service with?" He inquired respectfully. "We're here for someone who is residing in this village as of currently." Sasori said, eyeing the man calmly. "A girl to be exact, un!" Deidara added. Immediately, all of the woman grew even more flamboyant than before; clamoring at them in hopes of being taken with. "You worded that wrong, brat." Sasori hissed in the blondes ear. "Whoops…" Deidara sweat-dropped. "Not what we meant. We're here for a specific girl." Kisame correct, setting a firm hand on the shoulder of Yukine. She glared up at him. "You didn't think you could get away without a good-bye, did you, Ayuzawa-san?" The Kiri-nin said, flashing the young girl a toothy grin.

[[A/N: HOLY CRAP GUYS I'M SO SORRY. IT'S BEEN LIKE TWO WEEKS SINCE I UPDATED. I PROMISE I'M NOT DEAD. /shot ;v; I've just been really slow to update due to some health issues. I promise I'll keep posting, it'll just be a little slower than usual. So instead of posting every weekend, it may be every other weekend. Also, I'm sorry if this chapter wasn't as good as any of the others. I' haven't been in a very good frame of mind. Nonetheless, I still hope you enjoyed!]]


	12. Whale-Food VS The Prey!

HOAP

~ 12 ~

"_We're here for someone who is residing in this village as of currently." Sasori said, __eyeing the man calmly. "A girl to be exact, un!" Deidara added. Immediately, all of the woman grew even more flamboyant than before; clamoring at them in hopes of being taken with. "You worded that wrong, brat." Sasori hissed in the blondes ear. "Whoops…" Deidara sweat-dropped. "Not what we meant. We're here for a specific girl." Kisame corrected, setting a firm hand on the shoulder of Yukine. She glared up at him. "You didn't think you could get away without a good-bye, did you, Ayuzawa-san?" The Kiri-nin said, flashing the young girl a toothy grin._

. . .

All eyes were on the dark haired Kunoichi now. "You bastards. I should've known." She growled, her angry violet eyes sweeping over them harshly. "Ayuzawa-san, is this true? Are you associated with these great men?" Shishou-sama asked, looking at her with what looked to be admiration. She cringed. "…Yes. Regrettably enough." She bit out, shoving Kisame's hand off of her shoulder and standing. Shishou looked surprised at her unpleasant reaction. "I see that Hoshigaki here has informed you I didn't die, boys." She said, staring at the men levelly. Kisame looked surprised at the way she used his name. There was not a single hint of what had been in her voice when they were travelling together. Almost as if it had never happened at all.

"Yeah, he did, un." Deidara grinned. "It's time to come with us, brat." Sasori growled. Yukine stood firm, the rough night wind whipping at her hair. She stared at the men with nothing but pure hate in her eyes. "Yukine-san…" She heard a soft voice call. She looked to see Yume standing at her side. "W-What are you doing, Yukine-san? You can't win against them. They're adult S-ranked criminals. They're some of the strongest ninja's around." She said, her hand resting on the girl's shoulder. "Whatever. Naruto could beat these guys with two cups full of ramen in his hands." Yukine spat, remembering the blonde dope. And with that said, Yukine slid silently into her fighting position. "I'm sorry, Yume-san, Shishou-sama, and everyone else. I don't really care how much you look up to these men; they are currently the bane of my existence, and I very much wish them all dead." She growled, her eyes glistening coldly. "Very well. How about round two, Ayuzawa?" Kisame grinned, stepping up to the plate. Yukine grinned at that. "Sounds like a plan, Whale Food." She smirked. "Deidara, go prepare the bird." Itachi instructed quietly. "WHAT? Why do I have to do anything YOU say, un!?" Deidara spat. "Just do what he says, brat." Sasori snapped. Deidara pouted childishly at that. "Fine." He growled, heading back into the cover of the trees to go retrieve his bird.

Meanwhile, Yukine and Kisame had moved to the open field; and the village had followed. "Hey, idiot! Who do you think you are, taking on these strong men!" A few called. Yukine had to be careful; they had fangirls who would no doubt try something if given the chance. "Ready, Fish?" She grinned. "Ready, Prey." He grinned. And with that, the battle began. Yukine saw him slide his sword from it's holster and grinned. She revved into the air, her foot slamming down onto the bandaged blade of the sword and hopping back into the air again; flipping behind him. He had no time to react; as by the time he had turned around, Yukine's fist had already made contact with his sternum. "FURIO!" she shouted. This sent the big Kiri-nin crashing into the ground a few feet away. "Ehhh?! She knocked him off his feet!" One of the girls shouted, upset that her 'love' was losing. "She's a powerful ninja." Shishou commented, standing beside the two remaining Akatsuki members; Sasori and Itachi.

Kisame quickly stood back up, whiping a bit of blood from the corner of his mouth. "You can still pack quite the punch, Prey." He grinned. "You bet, Whale-Food, why don't you start trying a little more, huh?" She grinned. The pale skinned man didn't reply. He only shot forward at a swift pace. Yukine in turn jumped into the air; trying to escape the swing of his sword. However, Kisame had anticipated her move this time, and as soon as she lifted off the ground, he reached up and grabbed her ankle, slamming her back down into the ground with a sickening crack. "ACK!" She shouted, blood squirting from her mouth as she crashed into the ground; her eyes wide with surprise. That's when she saw it; he was going after her with that fucking sword. She had barely rolled out of the way in time before the sword made contact with the ground. Yukine hopped to her feet, shaking off the pain as best she could before backing a safe distance away. "What's wrong, girlie? Afraid of the sword?" He grinned savagely. "Here, I'll make it easy." He smirked, sheathing his sword and putting his hands together. He was about to preform a jutsu. "Water Release: A thousand feeding sharks!" he shouted. Not two seconds later a huge wave appeared with an innumerable amount of sharks swimming after her.

"HOLY HELL!" She shouted. She had no choice now. She had to run toward the sharks if she wanted to save herself. And so she did. Yukine jolted forward, heading right for the wave-riding mass of sharks that were headed toward her. And just before the water hit her foot; she revved into the air and began forming hand seals. God she hoped this worked. "Moon Release: Tsuki no Missile!" She shouted spreading her arms out as shiny missile like structure with full moons on their surface shot down from the skies past Yukine. She closed her eyes, silently praying to god that the jutsu would have worked it magic before she hit the ground. The missiles that had shot down from the heavens had blown up most of the battlefield by the time Yukine hit the ground. She sighed, she was tired now. Kisame looked upset at this. "You countered it." He said, stepping on the water soaked ground. "You're good. But it's time to end this farce." He growled; his face slightly more serious. "You're right, Hoshigaki…" She said, stepping forward. The two stared at each other, and Kisame pulled out his sword. He ran at her once more, and Yukine stood there. She would have to make this good. Once he was close enough, the lavender eyed Kunoichi began her last resort. "Juuryoku Ayatsuru." She said, her eyes closed as she preformed the jutsu. Suddenly, Kisame was lifted from the ground and held in place. He was shocked. "WHAT THE HELL?! WHAT IS—WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOUU!" He was staring at her, and then suddenly, Yukine began forming more fluid hand jutsu's, trying to focus on both at the same time. Once she had finished her hand seals, she shot her hands palm up to the full moon that was resting quietly in the sky. "LUNAR DRAGON OF THE FULL MOON NO JUTSU!" She shouted. And suddenly, a long, pure white dragon appeared, seeming to be wrapped around the moon. A ear-splitting roar was heard as the beast shot down from the skies; unraveling itself from the moon as it bore its way down to earth. Suddenly, Kisame broke free from the gravity manipulation, and was sent crashing to earth. His Samehada had absorbed the chakra Yukine had put into the jutsu, healed himself, and managed to break free. Things were looking up. Or so he though. The dragon had pelted down through the skies with such speed that it slammed into him, crushing him into the ground with great force.

Once the dragon made contact with the great sword wielder; it disappeared in a spur of white flecks. Yukine in turn fell to her knees. That was a high-grade move that used up much of her chakra; plus the Samehada's chakra sapping move had weakened her considerably. But she had hoped the Kiri-nin was unconscious. "Oh my god, un. Did a white dragon just fucking crush Kisame?!" Deidara shouted, running up the men. "That was incredible…" Shishou murmured. All eyes were on the huge crater where Kisame was located. Everyone held their breath. And suddenly, a large pale hand clawed it's way out of the crater, revealing a VERY battered Kisame as he crawled out of the hole, standing raggedly. "You're…Stronger than I thought…" He grinned. He moved toward the young Kunoichi who was on her knees, his sword dragging across the ground; it's bandages slightly loosened. She had little chakra left to use in battle. _Very_ little. "Ayuzawa-san." He said, grinning at the young girl. She looked up at him. "It's time to go." Kisame said with a smirk, lifting her chin up with the tip of his bandaged sword. Her eyes rested on him tiredly. "You…bastard…Why did you have to tell them…that I was alive?" She growled, feeling weaker by the moment. Unbeknownst to Yukine, the ex-Kiri nin was healing himself using her chakra.

"All I wanted was to have a _home_…" She murmured, her vision blurring. Kisame looked slightly surprised by this. All was still in that moment. The fangirls hushed, the battle stopped, even the trees had ceased to rustle in the wind. All was quiet. "Shizu…chan…" Yukine murmured weakly as Kisame removed his sword from her chin and sheathed it. Just after that; Yukine went unconscious, hitting the ground with a soft thump.

"YUKINE-SAN!" Yume shouted from the crowds, fighting her way toward her friend. "YUKINE-SAN, YUKINE-SAN! NO!" The lavender haired Kunoichi shouted, tears in her eyes. She was withheld by Shiki. "Let go of me!" She shouted, ripping from the boys grip and running right for Yukine, she knelt beside her new friend, lifting her into her arms. The four Akatsuki members stood beside her. "What did you do to her..?" She growled, looking angrily at the men. "She's just unconscious, un. Fish-face knows if he killed her, Leader-sama would throw a huge fit." Deidara assured. Yume checked her pulse. The blonde one was right, she must've just fainted. "Yume-san, please step back from Ayuzawa-san." Shishou said calmly, beckoning her back. "But-! She obviously doesn't want to go with them! She shouldn't be forced against her will! I can't…I can't…" Yume felt tears rising in her eyes as she held her Kunoichi companion. "Yukine-san has done so much for me…and for you four too." She said, looking up at the men. "She saved you from fan-girls, and even showed you a good time at that festival! You all smiled, tell me, was that fake too?! Were you just lying to her?!" She shouted angrily. The men only remained silent. "Yume…" Shiki murmured, walking silently out of the crowds; Akiko behind him. "Ayuzawa-san is a strong Kunoichi. Have faith that she will succeed." He said as he reached her. He bent down to offer her his hand. Akiko then stepped beside him. "She's going to be fine, Yume-chan. I bet they'll even bring her back to see us one day too." The red-head smiled, offering her hand as well. Yume whiped the tears from her eyes, smiling. She nodded. "Yes." She murmured, taking her friends hands and standing up. They stood back, giving the Akatsuki room.

The Akatsuki members made their way back to the bird, with Yukine carried by Kisame. Though, one member was having a bit of trouble leaving. Deidara had gotten use to the idea of having fangirls, it seemed and was taking advantage of the prospects of his so-called "sex appeal". "Come on, brat." Sasori snapped. "You know I hate waiting." Sasori growled. "Indeed, let's leave before this fan club tries to molest us goodbye." Kisame grunted. Itachi nodded. And soon, with a few reluctant goodbyes, and a bunch of food to take back to base in hand, the five of them all boarded the bird. "Goodbye Yukine-san! Come back and see us soon!" Yume called out from below as the bird began to rise into the air, tears in her eyes as she watched them go.

Meanwhile, Yukine still laid unconscious in the Ex-Kirigakure nin's arms. All four men took a glance at the unconscious girl, and a simultaneous thought occurred in all four men's head then. How was it, that such a small, fragile looking girl could be such trouble to capture?

*Note*: Furio is not Shannaro. Although it has Chakra focused in the hand; it is a mostly elemental punch using a sharp gust of wind to slam into the selected area on the opponent's body. It is also not quite as strong as Shannaro, due to not being FULLY Chakra powered. =D

[[A/N: WAHAHAHAHA, I FINALLY GOT A CHAPTER OUT ON TIME! Sorry that this one was a little off too, I'm really lazy and I didn't feel like super-mega-editing this one. =w= one or two of the jutsu's used by Yukine in here are borrowed from some fan-site and are not original. I don't remember which ones, because it was a long time ago, so, all credit to you guys! You made great Moon jutsu's. ;v; Anyways, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! It's about time she got caught, right? xD]]


	13. The Target Has Been Secured!

HOAP

~ 13 ~

Yukine awoke to complete darkness. "Where am I…?" She murmured to herself, glancing around the dark room as her eyes began to adjust to the lack of light. However, even when her eyes had fully adjusted to the darkness in the room, she could still only make out the vague outline of objects. Suddenly, She stiffened, becoming increasingly aware of her position. She was shackled to a wall in a dark room. And the shackles used to restrain her weren't just any shackles either. They were Chakra draining shackles. These were shackles often used to keep the chakra level a ninja down to that of a normal person. "You have go to be kidding me…" Yukine grumbled angrily, scowling.

Not only was she shackled to some dirty old wall in the dark, she had been left utterly defenseless as well, as the men had taken her weapons pouch as well as all of her other weapons. Yukine cursed the Akatsuki for being so thorough. She had definitely sorely underestimated the men after her a great deal. It appeared their earlier failures had given her a false security. That was Yukine's biggest error; believing that she was too skilled for them to catch.

It had been about 3 hours since Yukine had come to in the dark room that she lay shackled in and she was starting to grow restless, as well as hungry. She couldn't help but wonder when her last meal was, or how long she'd been out-cold in this god forsaken cellar. However, the young ninja's brooding was cut short by the sound of foot-fall nearing the outside of the door. She held her breath, wondering just who it could be, and if they were going to enter the room. Eventually, Yukine's questions were answered by the rough sliding squeak of the door as it opened to reveal a tall, almost stocky man, with neon green eyes that glowed bright in the dark, his form silhouetted against the dim light streaming in from the place outside of her room.

She watched the man as their eyes meeting in a long gaze, the silence thick between the two. And then suddenly, without a word, he closed the door; shrouding Yukine in darkness once more.

Eventually though, the green-eyed man returned. However, this time he was with an orange-haired man with piercings all along the bridge of his nose. "So this is the infamous Target who has been able to slip through our fingers twice now?" He asked, his tone unclear as his eyes alighted upon the small, shackled figure in the corner. Yukine didn't dignify the man's words with a reply. She only held his gaze, doing her best not falter due to his piercing stare. The man with the piercings then moved closer to her, eventually coming to stand just over her slunken figure. She looked up at him defiantly still, remaining ever silent. "Are you ready to join us now?" The man asked, eyeing her steadily. Yukine smirked at that. "Why would I ever join the likes of you?" She challenged. He stared at her, his eyes beginning to narrow. "Who ever said you had a choice?" He growled, his patience was beginning to wear. "You implied it when you asked the stupid question." Yukine bit out lowly. "And of course I have a choice. What could you do to make me join? Your little Red-riding hood killed my mother, and I have no more family other than her. I don't really have anything left to lose, now do I?" The Lavender-eyed Kunoichi grinned. She knew she was calling the shots on this one. That is until a ghost of a smirk slipped across the man who she guessed was the Leader's face.

She stared at him, confusion evident on her face. "Oh, you'll join." He said as he started away from her, his face much like his voice; monotonous. Yukine glared at him. "Like hell I will." She said, her voice like venom as the words slipped from her lips. She would hold out for as long as she could. No matter what tactics they used, she would do her best not to give into them. She couldn't stand the thought of shaming her village like that. Either of her villages. Yukine watched as the two men left, sparing glances at her before they shut the door and locked it from the outside. She cringed. What kind of bad situation had she gotten herself into now…?

"I'll leave her for now. However, if she doesn't give in within three days time, I'm going to have one of the other members persuade her otherwise." Pein growled from within his dark crevice. "Very well, Pein." A softer voice said, rising from the shadows. It was Konan. "Call in the other members." He instructed after a small silence. Konan only nodded, leaving the man with the many piercings alone in the room as she went to go do as he asked.

About ten minutes later, all ten Akatsuki members were gathered together in the conferencing room. "I wonder what Leader-sama wants us for, un." Deidara said looking a little excited. "Perhaps it is to congratulate us in finally catching the Target!" Tobi squealed. "Whatever, un! You didn't even catch her! We did!" Deidara snapped, jabbing his thumb at the four men who had gone under cover, including himself. "From what I hear, it was ultimately Kisame who caught her." Both sides of Zetsu commented. Deidara went silent. Everyone knew it was true. They had all heard the story of the final showdown between Kisame and the Target. However, Pein had yet to acknowledge much of the mission at all as of yet.

"If you are all through mulling over an event that took place four days ago, may I have your attention?" A voice from the shadows called, piercing the chattering going on amongst the men. All went silent then. "I have called you all here for a special purpose today," He began. "If in three days time, the girl does not agree to join the Akatsuki, one of you will be going into persuade her otherwise." He said, his voice cold like metal. He waited for a reaction from any of the men, and when there was none he proceeded to continue speaking. "You are here so that I can inform you of my decision." He said, letting silence sweep over the group as he surveyed his men. He needed someone who could separate himself from his emotions, someone who was strong enough to give the Target some wounds to think about, but also strong enough to control his strength and not wound her too badly. He needed someone smart, virtually heartless, and someone who could withstand the bantering and hate he would receive from the girl, even after she agreed to join the Akatsuki. Only one man fit his necessary description. _Uchiha, Itachi_.

After an uncomfortably long silence, Leader parted his lips to speak. "Uchiha, Itachi," He began icily. "If in three days time, our Target does not submit to the will of the Akatsuki and join, you will be the one to convince her otherwise using any means I see fit. Do you understand?" He asked, finishing with a voice completely void of emotion. "Yes, Leader-sama." Itachi replied, his voice calm and quiet. "Then, with that taken care of, you are all dismissed for now." Leader said, turning on his heel and making off into the shadows with his partner, Konan. The men watched as their leader left, and once he was out of sight, they all exited the cold, dark room together.

"So she's awake then, un?" Deidara asked as they exited. Kakuzu, the one to find the young girl had awoken, nodded. "Jeez, the bitch was out cold for almost four days wasn't she?" Hidan asked, scoffing. "Kisame did drain most, if not almost all of her Chakra." White Zetsu commented. "Shut the fuck up, Plant-freak. No one asked you!" Hidan snapped. "Don't be rude to Zetsu-san!" Tobi defended. "You want to be my next sacrifice, Pumpkin head?!" Hidan bit out. "Say another word, Hidan, and I'll cut your head off. And this time, I won't sew it back on for a week." Kakuzu growled as they neared their quarters. Hidan went silent at that. Last time, he had gone without a head for 2 days. "Good choice." Kakuzu growled before veering off into his room. Each of the Akatsuki members had their own room, considering a few of them would likely destroy each other if they had to share. But it wouldn't be that way for long. There was no extra room for the Target, and every member knew one of them would end up sharing with her. The question was who, and when?

[[A/N: Yukine has finally been caught and is now awake! 8D Wooo. Now the real story can finally start. ;v; I'm excited to get deeper into the story, and I hope you guys are really enjoying it! /dances Anyways, see you guys again in Chapter 14! I hope you look forward to it!]]


	14. Let The Extensive Measures Begin

HOAP

~ 14 ~

The next few days went by with little progress. By the end of Day 2, Yukine was still as resilient as ever, even without having been fed in almost a week since she had woken up in that dark cellar. She was cold, hungry, and alone, and yet she still refused to falter and submit to their schemes. This aggravated Pein greatly, however he remained patient; waiting until the Third day came to it's end to send in his "Extensive Measures" in to convince her otherwise.

"Ayuzawa, Yukine, otherwise known as: "The Target". 17 years of age, with incredible tracking abilities, as well as basic medical ninja training and is listed as above average in almost all of her jutsu," Konan read aloud. She had been instructed to completely brief Itachi on the girl before he went in. "She resides in Konohagakure, but does not wear the symbol: Her home Village of Tsukigakure was destroyed 12 years ago by their rivals, Hoshigakure as recorded by Official Konoha records." She finished. "How old was she when she lost her village?" Kisame asked, walking inside the Debriefing room without even so much as a knock. "Kisame-san, we are discussing pri-." Konan was cut off by the Kiri-Nin's loud voice. "Relax, I just came to inform Itachi that our next mission will be in a few months, according to Leader." He said with a grin. "Anyways, answer the question; How old was she when she lost her village?" He asked again, prodding. Konan let a small sigh escape her lips. There really was no winning with these men.

"She was five years of age." She said, giving in. Kisame only nodded, his face masked of all emotion. "Now, please take your leave, Kisame-san." Konan directed politely. Kisame snickered at her masked aggravation, bowed swiftly and left, shutting the thick metal door behind him without a sound.

"Anyways, That is your debriefing, Itachi-san." Konan said, closing the case file. "Here, look over it yourself before you go in there tomorrow." She said, handing the small manila folder over to him. He took it quietly, bowed, and then exited the room. Tomorrow would be the fourth day; and the day that Extensive Measures would begin. She only hoped that the girl would give in soon. The Akatsuki needed her to fulfill their mission.

Yukine sighed, looking around the pitch-black room with a small yawn. She had just woken up from another nap. That was all there was to do in this place anyways. Sleep. Constantly veering in and out of consciousness was literally the only thing that kept the starving girl busy. Of course, now that it had been nearly a week since she had anything to eat she didn't really get to choose when she lost consciousness. The only thing she had ingested over the course of her imprisonment had been water. And she only received that every other day.

Yukine sighed, coughing a little bit. Suddenly though, the door opened abruptly, causing her to shift slowly; looking up at the new source of light. It was him again. The strangely concocted man who brought her water every other day. She watched as he closed the door behind him and came to sit next to her, a tall glass of icy cold water in his hands. "Open your mouth," He murmured, leaning close to her as he held the water close to her lips. She couldn't tell who he was. All she knew was that his face was not just one colour, and that he had a large claw like structure sitting on his shoulders. Yukine obeyed him, opening her mouth slightly as he tipped the glass upward, the water riding out of the glass smoothly. Yukine drank greedily, her thirst causing her to disregard grace. After all, how much grace could you have when you hadn't bathed in a week, eaten in a week, and had your hands shackled partially above your head?

Soon though, the water was completely gone from the cup. And just as soon as the man had come; he was gone. Yukine sighed, suddenly feeling incredibly sleepy again as she let unconsciousness lead her back into her dreams. At least there she was well-fed and free.

When tomorrow came, The entire base was blanketed with a strange excitement. Everyone knew that today was the fourth day since the girl had come to, and she had still not agreed to join the Akatsuki. It was time for Extensive Measures and everyone was betting on how long Yukine would hold out. "I'm betting the bitch won't last two days! Weasel's got that Genjutsu thing going for him, he'll be sure to drive her insane!" Hidan laughed, placing his money down. "I don't know, un. I saw her battle with Kisame, and she's tough. I'd give her 4 days tops." Deidara said, also placing his bet. "I give her 5 days." Kakuzu said darkly, laying down his bet. "What about you, Sasori-Danna? How long do you think the Target'll last, un?" The blonde-bomber asked, looking at his ever-quiet partner as the others placed their bets. "I don't care how long she lasts." Sasori growled from within his newly repaired Hiruko. "It only matters that she gives in soon and aids us in our goal." He growled. "And the sooner she finishes aiding in our goal, the sooner I can do away with her." He added before taking his leave back to his room. "Jeez. He really hates her, doesn't he, un?" Deidara commented to himself, watching his partner disappear down the corridor leading to his quarters. Meanwhile, everyone else with the exception of Sasori, Itachi, and of course, Pein and Konan had placed a bet on how long the girl would hold out. Soon, the clock struck 1:30 PM. It was time to begin.

Yukine watched wearily as the door handle began to turn, opening to reveal a pair of feet. They stepped in, closing the door without so much as a sound. Soon though, she realized that the person in the room with her was not alone. The first pair had been joined by a second pair of feet. She looked up as best as she could to see the orange haired male, whom she had discerned was their leader, standing beside the onyx-eyed man; Uchiha, Itachi. "Last chance," he said, his voice icily calm. "Will you join the Akatsuki?" He asked, looking down at the girl with a harsh stare. Yukine only glared at him, clearing her parched throat as she prepared to speak. "Not on your life, Piercings." She spat. Pein only shook his head, waving her reply away. "Very well then, have it your way. Itachi, you know what to do." He said, leaving the door without another word. Yukine watched as Pein left the room. Looks like the real torcher was just getting started.

For a long time, nothing happened. Silence filled the room as Onyx eyes met dull lavender ones. Itachi's eyes pierced her own easily, and she noticed he had a certain look about him. It was almost as if he was searching for something. "Are you just going to sit here all day?" Yukine finally bit out, bothered by his stare. The Uchiha remained silent, his gaze still fixed on hers. She sighed. "I should've figured you'd say nothing. You don't seem like a man of many words." Yukine muttered, closing her eyes momentarily. Eventually, when she opened them again, she was met with an entirely new set of eyes. Eyes the colour of glowing blood that shone bright in the dark. Yukine was taken aback by this sudden change. And that's when Itachi took his chance. Before Yukine could figure out what was going on, she was free from her shackles and sitting on a black and red checkered floor outside. "What the hell?" She asked aloud, standing up as she looked toward the sky. It was a gory red with maroon clouds scattered across the surface.

Yukine looked around in awe at the strangely disturbing wasteland before her. And after a bit of looking around she noticed someone walking toward her. It was him. Itachi. And that's when it hit her. "No way…! You put me in that famous Genjutsu…." She murmured. She looked up at him for affirmation, but he gave none. However, Yukine had a way to get her answer. She ran at him going full speed. Here, she was just as healthy as she had been outside that wretched cellar, so she could use her chakra just fine now. Or so she thought.

As soon as Yukine went to slam her fist into the man's stomach, he was gone. Seconds later, Yukine found herself restrained and unable to move. This confirmed it. She was now in the Uchiha's world. And this world was not real. She knew this, and that was all she needed to break his stupid Genjutsu. "Your parlor tricks won't fool me." She growled, looking up at him. He only stared coldly down at her, disappearing to watch from afar. Seconds later, Hinata, Yume, Shiki and all of her other allies appeared before her. They began to taunt her and call her cruel names. "I know what you're trying to do!" She shouted to the man who was no where in sight, ignoring the cruel words spewing from her friends lips. "It won't work. I know this is a Genjutsu, I don't believe any of this is real!" She shouted as she felt a sharp pain pierce her arm and back; they were throwing stones at her along with their taunting words now. But she was wrong. Sure, consciously she knew that this world was a complete and total farce, but inside; in the very back of her mind, part of Yukine believed this was real. And that was what had doomed her from the very start.

[[A/N: HAHAHAA CLIFF HANGERS. /shotshot Sorry. Ahem! I'd like to make something known, this is obviously NOT the official world of Itachi's Tsukuyomi. I spent hours searching for what it was like, and I could only find brief little inverse-colour scenes. So, I decided to create what I picture Itachi's Tsukuyomi world being. Sorry if it's not what you hoped for. Anyways, I worked pretty hard on this one and the next one is when the real torturing starts. So, I hope you all look forward to Chapter fifteen. See you there!]]


	15. A New Enemy Is Born

HOAP

~ 15 ~

Yukine was stuck. She had been stuck in this god forsaken nightmare realm for hours toppled onto hours everyday for the past 3 days now, and the hellish things occurring were only getting worse with each passing day. She sighed, her eyes half-lidded as she stared straight ahead at the dark wall in front of her. They were feeding her now, as they were afraid she might die soon if they didn't. But that was only once every few days it seemed. Yukine let her eyes droop, hoping to sleep for awhile before her tormentor came to give her imaginary-daily-beatings to her. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out, to be honest.

Things had gotten very bad for the young Tsuki-nin. She was losing weight rapidly now with her irregular eating schedule, and she was almost constantly going in-and-out of consciousness as a result of her mal-nourishment. And the worst part of it was the torture. It had begun taking a small toll on her mind, wearing away at any situational awareness she once had and forcing her to become slightly delusional. However, Yukine still refused to join; remaining ever vigilant that she would stand by justice, and her village[s] that she loved so dearly.

"It's been three days, and she still hasn't given up?" Kisame asked, sitting on the floor of Itachi's room as he began taking care of Samehada. The Uchiha only nodded. "She's a stubborn child." He muttered. "What all tactics have you used?" The blue man asked, looking up at his partner. "The Tsukuyomi." Itachi replied. Kisame grimaced. He knew how terrible that Genjutsu was. "Damn she's strong if she can withstand you that long. Even a few hours is absolutely terrible. How long do you usually have her under?" He asked. "3 to 4 hours a day." Itachi replied, his eyes looking far off at something Kisame could not quite see. "I see…" The swordsman murmured. All went silent for awhile after that, and the two continued to carry on as they were before. Itachi would have to pay his daily visit soon.

Yukine awoke to the high-pitched squeal of a door squeaking open. She didn't even bother to lift her head to see who her 'visitor' was, as she already knew all too well whose feet were moving inside the room. "Welcome back, master." She taunted, trying to show she still had some fight left in her. The Uchiha didn't reply, he only sat down in front of her, placing his fingers underneath her chin and lifting it up to meet his eyes that were now a violent red. Yukine blinked once, almost uncaringly as her realm immediately changed. She was back in that disturbing scarlet wasteland. "Well, let's see what you've got in store for me this time." She murmured, walking around the checkered floor; waiting patiently for what was to come. Eventually, She noticed something on the horizon. "I bet it's him." Yukine growled under her breath, starting toward the small dot in the distance. Sure enough, when she reached the dot; it was the ex-Uchiha heir himself. He wasn't looking at her though, but at the scarlet sky above them. "Your worst fears become real in this realm. I do not control what happens to you." He said under his breath. However, it was only loud enough for Yukine to catch the very last part. She stared at him. "What are you trying to do? Make yourself seem like the good guy?" She snapped. He only glanced at her once, and then he was gone.

"What the hell..? What was that about…?" She wondered aloud as she looked around for the mysteriously disappearing Weasel. Yukine sighed, face palming. Suddenly though, she heard whistling in the distance. The small brunette looked up to see a group of four men ambling toward her with smirks on their faces. "What the hell do you want?" Yukine snapped, despite knowing that asking their agenda would be useless, considering the world she was in was but a figment of her imagination. Suddenly; that's when she heard them speaking. "Hey baby, what are you doing out here all alone?" One asked, reaching for her. "A girl like you shouldn't be outside without a man."

"Yeah, you might get attacked."

"By big, strong men who could take something dear away from you."

"Unless of course that dear thing has already been taken."

"I bet it has. She looks the type to have lost it already."

"Heh. In that case, it should be no big deal; y'know. If we get in on that action too. Right, slut?"

"C'mere, girlie!"

Yukine let out a small gasp as one grabbed her and yanked her toward the group. "Hey! Let go, you dirty dog!" She shouted, ramming her elbow into her assailant's face. Suddenly, a swarm of hands reached for her, yanking at her clothes and fighting to pin her down. "GET OFF OF ME!" She screamed, trying to battle the sudden swarm of strong arms battering her into the floor. She couldn't fight this many at one time, and for some reason she seemed to be losing strength rapidly. Yukine let out a cry as she felt one kick her in the side, and another one crawl on top of her. "NO! STOP IT!" She screamed, kicking and fighting with all of her might to no avail. She felt nauseas now as the men attacked and grabbed at her without remorse. Silent tears began to fall from her cheeks.

They had begun cutting at her with their weapons now in an effort to keep her subdued so they could finish with their "Fun". Yukine winced at the increasing pain as her body welled with blood and the men continued to violently have their way with her. "P-Please…" She whispered hoarsely. "Stop it..." She sobbed as they flashed her their perverse grins. Yukine shook her head, still weakly trying to fight them off. However, she was losing blood fast and was officially nearing death. Her head lolled back and her eyes rolled up, the last thing her blurring vision fastening upon was the figure of Itachi up on a hill, grimacing and turning away from the horrifying scene that was taking place just below.

Yukine soon awoke once more in her cellar. She was shaking and tears had stained her cheeks and dirty clothing. She stared at the culprit. At that moment, she wanted nothing more than to tear his throat out and stomp on it. But, she couldn't. She was far too weak to hardly even move these days, and this last Genjutsu had done something to her. It had put fear in her. This intense fear and utter hate gripped her heart like an unforgiving vice as she curled up against her wall, attempting to keep as far away from the man with those damn accursed eyes as she possibly could manage.

Itachi stood, knowing that she had had enough for today. And without another word, he left, locking the heavy metal door behind him.

"How is our prisoner faring?" A deep voice asked, his ringed eyes glowing from the shadows. "She's stubborn." Itachi replied. "Still hasn't given up yet? I see." Pein replied, shaking his head. "Keep doing what you're doing. She will break eventually." He murmured softly. It was just a matter of perseverance on the Akatsuki's half. But the question still remained, how much longer was this girl going to keep fighting them? When would she finally give up? "Thank you, Itachi. You are dismissed." Pein said after a small silence. Itachi only bowed silently, and then took his leave. "If she doesn't give up soon, what will you do?" Konan asked. "There is no 'doesn't'. She _will_ give up. The Tsukuyomi is impossible to win against." Pein growled. "Very well then." The blunette replied, letting the matter rest. And with that, they both took leave back to their quarters.

[[I'm so sorry for the awkward chapter guys! It was just something that happened in the original story that was a big part of plot, so I had to keep that…ahem…discomforting scene. Please forgive me! Also, sorry for any OOCness that might've taken place. /slapped. Anyways, sorry this chapter was so short again. I hope you still enjoyed it! Can't wait to see you again in Chapter 16! I hope you look forward to it!]]


	16. Never Gonna Give Up!

HOAP

~ 16 ~

Ever since that last Tsukuyomi, Itachi hadn't returned to pay Yukine any daily 'visits'. She didn't know how many days it had been, nor did she care, either. Over the course of her imprisonment Yukine had gradually stopped keeping track of time, and could no longer tell day from night or morning from evening. And ever since that last Genjutsu, the young ninja had been having nightmares on and off, rendering her unable to sleep most of the time.

Yukine blinked her eyes slowly, moving her aching body into a slightly better position as well as she could considering her hands were shackled just above her head. _"You truly are a stubborn little girl."_A familiar scoffing voice said. Yukine stared ahead; her eyes dull. "I was wondering when you'd finally show up again…" She murmured softly. _"…I would've thought you'd__ given up by now, y'know?__" _The deep voice commented, causing a sneering grin to flash within Yukine's minds-eye. "Yeah? Sounds like you need to re-evaluate your opinion of me, bub. I'm a lot stronger than you'll ever know." She snarled weakly. _"Haha. I'll give you credit, Ayuzawa. I expected you to give up way earlier in this little game."_ He paused to snicker. _"But, anyways. I did not surface to gab about your ability to go without food or water for a week st__raight multiple times over the course of two months. I come offering a proposal." _The voice had become serious; his tone lowering as he spoke. This caught Yukine's attention.

"A proposal?" She asked, questioning the mysterious voice within her. _"Precisely. Are you willing to listen though, is the qu__estion." _He growled with a slight change in his pitch. Yukine bit her lip, blinking slowly as she pondered her options. What could it hurt to just _listen_?

"Very well then. Speak." She said after all. _"Good choice, girl."_ The voice said, sounding pleased with himself. Yukine saw a smirk flash in her minds eye causing her to scoff in return. _"I propose that you give in to these fools and join them."_ He began, only to be cut off right as he finished his sentence. "What?! No way in hell-!" _"Let me finish you little__ snot!"_ The voice barked, growing impatient. Yukine went quiet at that; submitting to his will. _"Ahem. As I was saying, I propose you join those silly little fools and gain their trust. Aid them in their plans, but keep in mind your own goal. Your goal to __get revenge on the village that whiped out your own, and your goal to get back home to your friends and family. Use the pathetic worms that are trying to use you and show them who Ayuzawa, Yukine truly is. What do you think?" _The voice asked, sounding almost hopeful. Yukine was quiet for a long time after that. Could she really pull something like that off? Using the very people that intend to use her to her own advantage..?

After awhile of contemplating the strange Voice's words, a question popped into her mind. "Why would you want to help me anyways?" She asked, her tone sharp as she spoke, closing her eyes. _"Because I'm part of you too,__ you selfish little brat. I see everything that happens to you, and when your spirit is dampened, so is mine. I'm sick of being stuck in one place on the brink of starvation with you. You're living for two people, you idiot. I'm a deity. Not a ghost."_ The voice snapped resentfully. Yukine was caught off guard by the harsh words piercing her ears. "I see. Deity, eh? Living for two people? Feh." She said, her voice softening. "…I will do it." She said after an excruciating silence. _"What?"_ It asked, almost surprised. "I will join those idiots and do as you have proposed, stupid." Yukine hissed. The voice snickered at that. _"I s__ee you still have a bit of fire left in you, even after starving for a month."_ He grinned. Yukine rolled her eyes. "Whatever." She snorted. _"Very well. Good choice, sno__t. I'll see you again when the time comes. Buh-bye for now~…"_ And with those words, the voice began to fade away, and with it, the small illusion Yukine had been set in when he had come to the surface of her mind.

After the next Tsukuyomi, Yukine would "give up". She smirked at the thought, her hair falling in front of her face; shielding it from view as the door opened. It was the blonde haired boy who often brought her meals—if you could even call them 'meals'—to her. "Hey, un. Are you awake?" came the familiar speech-impediment. Yukine didn't reply. She had recently taken to keeping silent when the Akatsuki fags were around. She heard the boy sigh, his feet pattering on the hard cement floor as he made his way closer to her. He kneeled beside her and looked at her. "Ah. So you are awake, un. Time to eat." He smiled, picking up a piece of what looked to be a sandwich that was made using stale bread and ham that was most likely past it's expiration date. Yukine sighed, turning her head away from the boy who was trying to feed her. "Come on now, un! If you don't eat you'll starve to death!" He whined, moving the sandwich towards her face once more, causing the young Tsuki-nin to turn her head to the right instead.

"Alright then, un! No more games." The blonde-bomber growled, forcing Yukine flat against the wall. Yukine looked up in fright, startled at his sudden violence. However, the Ex-Iwa-nin ignored her and using his knee to keep her in place while he grabbed the sandwich he began the process of force feeding her. After picking up the sandwich, the blonde-bomber pinched a nerve in her jaw, forcing her mouth to open; this was his chance. He slid part of the sandwich between her lips and before she knew it, Yukine had food in her mouth. "There we go. Oh by the way, I don't think I've ever introduced myself, un." He began, placing his hands against her cheeks and moving them in her circular motion, prompting her to chew. "I'm Deidara." He grinned at her, his blue eyes glistening in the dark mischievously. Yukine didn't pay him much mind though, she was trying to fight him off of her. Eventually though, she gave in, swallowing her forcibly-chewed food. This went on for about thirty minutes before Yukine began to notice a wet feeling on her cheek, and movement that wasn't just the determined boys hands.

Her eyes widened. She began to squirm in shock. "Wha-What the hell was that?!" She squeaked after swallowing the last bit of the tasteless sandwich. So much for the vow of silence. "Woah! You speak, un!" Deidara said in surprise, falling backward at her sudden rowdiness. "Of course I speak—!" She paused to cough a few times before continuing. "I just don't want to speak to the likes of you! Anyways, answer the question! What did you put on my face?! It feels wet and warm!" She snapped, leaving herself breathless. It took way too much energy to even speak. "What are yo—Oh. You mean these, un?" Deidara, as she had come to know him as said, holding his hands up, palms facing outward toward the young prisoner. Yukine saw two tongues show themselves briefly. She was bewildered, but then it hit her. "I see. You stole a hidden scroll, didn't you?" She asked weakly. He nodded, grinning. "They seem to like you, un." Deidara spoke, changing the subject. "They don't lick people usually, un. But then again, I also don't usually have my hands on people…" He trailed off. Yukine sighed. She had used up all the energy she had left in speaking to this idiot. "Well, anyways, un," Deidara began, standing up and dusting himself up as he picked up the plate. "I'd better get going. I'll be back to feed you again two days from now." He said with a grin, opening the door as he prepared to leave. "Time doesn't matter in here." She growled, glaring at him. He looked surprised at that. But then, without another word, the young blonde ninja was gone, the door closing heavily behind him.

Yukine yawned, closing her eyes slowly as she slumped against the wall she was shackled to as best a she could. She would need to save up any energy she had in her for when the Weasel came back for another round. _Whenever_ it was he planned to return, that is.

Later that day, while Yukine was fast asleep, having yet another one of her nightmares that had become common as of late, someone stepped inside her small prison. It was the person she had been waiting for. Uchiha, Itachi. It had been over four days since he had last seen the girl after the last Tsukuyomi he'd preformed. Itachi watched the young girl sleep for a short while, a stoic look settled upon his harsh features. He could tell that she was having a nightmare. "I told you that I do not control what happens to you." He murmured, more to himself than anyone else. And then suddenly, the small creature that he had been watching sleep began to stir.

Yukine opened her eyes reluctantly. She had succumbed to another one of those horrendous nightmares again. "Ugh…" She muttered, looking up only to have her breath catch in her throat at what she saw. Uchiha, Itachi was standing right in front of her. "Long time no see, rapist." Yukine growled, staring the man in the eye. Itachi didn't reply, he only sat down in front of her silently. "What? Guilt got your tongue? I didn't think criminals could feel that one." She spat. Itachi let out a small sigh, and then activated his Sharingan. He was getting tired of her quick remarks. "Stop being childish." He growled threateningly, pulling her by the front of her shirt and forcing her to look him right in the eye. Yukine only smirked, allowing herself to be pulled once again into the hellish world that awaited her.

"Alright, what do you have in store for me this time, Weasel?" Yukine said, shouting at the sky. She was so done with everything that she had honestly stopped caring about anything and everything that happened in the Tsukuyomi's realm. But that soon changed. A crack resounded all around the deathly silent place, causing Yukine to step back swiftly. She had stepped on something. Looking down to see what it was, she gasped; a terrified look taking hold of her face. She had stepped on a doll, crushing one side of it's porcelain face into a sickening expression. "N-No way…" She squeaked, stepping back, only to bump into something. She turned around, only to see a curly-haired porcelain doll ambling struggling to get back up, something shiny glistening unnaturally in the light. Yukine looked closer, seeing that it was a box cutter. "FUCK. YOU BASTARD, GET THE HELL AWAY YOU DISGUSTING THING!" Yukine screamed, tears threatening to leap down her cheeks as she moved backward. "What's wrong, miss?" the high-pitched doll squeaked, moving closer. "Do you know where my mommy is?" It asked. "Get away. Get away. Just get away!" Yukine cried out, turning tail and bolting as far away as she could from the doll. But at every turn, there was another, even more terrifying doll standing in her way. And soon, there was no escape.

"No, no, no….No…NO! NNONONONONONOOO! THIS CAN'T BE HAPPENING! STOP IT! GO AWAY. GET OUT OF HERE!" Yukine screamed, her voice so loud it echoed across the barren wasteland. The dolls only giggled girlishly, showing off their murderous weapons and smiling unnaturally. They made their way closer, and soon, Yukine felt one slice at her. "AGH!" She cried out, hitting the floor as it sliced through her Achilles tendon. She began to sob in terror, and in pain. She felt weapons cut into her as she heard them laugh giddily at the sight of her blood spilling onto the floor. They hacked into her limbs mercilessly, beginning to sing and hum as they carried on. Eventually, Yukine was no longer able to scream for help, as they had severed her jugular as well as her trachea. She was now missing a hand, both legs, and part of her scalp.

This had by far been the most terrible Tsukuyomi yet. And all she could see were the disgusting, terrifying smiles and faces of the dolls that were destroying her body with every swing of their bloodied weapons. Eventually, Yukine was no more, and the wasteland disappeared. It had been the longest, most terrifying Tsukuyomi yet. She was sobbing and shaking violently, her body locking up as she came to in her tiny cell. Itachi sat before, hiding the surprise on his face. He had learned valuable information about their prisoner. And it was all thanks to his nightmarish Genjutsu. After a long silence, with the only noise being Yukine and her sobbing, she finally calmed down. She was only breathing heavily now as her dull, pained eyes alighted on the Ex-Konoha nin. "….I…" She whispered, wetting her lips and swallowing hard. He looked at her, half expecting her to spit in his face and tell him how much she hated his guts. "I….Give in…." She whispered. "…You win…Bastard…" She murmured. Yukine had not only given for the sake of her new plan, but her body had officially reached it's limit. Yukine had severe Pediophobia, and using that against her was a sure fire way to break her immediately.

Itachi stared at her, fighting to hide his utter shock. She had actually given up. "You will join the Akatsuki?" He asked grimly, standing up. She only nodded. And with that, Itachi unshackled her, letting her arms fall limply to her sides as she hit the floor. After that, he unshackled her ankles and waited for her to stand. Yukine Stood up shakily, moving toward the door, only to fall due to her weakened state. It had been two whole months since she had used her legs, and along with being half-starved and severely mal-nourished she was having trouble moving her body at all. She tried multiple times to stand, but fell. Eventually, leaning heavily on the wall, she stood, pausing to gather more energy to move. Itachi only stood by, knowing that she didn't want his help.

Yukine moved slowly toward the door, but she was only able to take about five steps before falling into the Akatsuki nin. He caught her by the sides and looked down at her. She didn't say anything. She didn't have to. They both knew that she was far too weak to move on her own. After a short period of time, Itachi lifted the young Tsuki-nin into his arms bridal-style and carried her out of the Cellar. He had been informed of what to do if she gave in.

As the two made their way down the corridor, the Akatsuki men watched in surprise as the Uchiha carried the girl toward the sleeping quarters. They couldn't believe she had finally given up. Yukine sighed, resting her head on her captors chest; she was too weak to hold it up any longer. Soon, they reached her new room and knocked on the door.

Sasori heard a knock on his door. He sighed, wondering what Deidara wanted now as he got up from his bed and moved to open the door. However, when he opened the door, it was not Deidara; but Itachi holding a young girl—the prisoner—instead. "I see she's finally given up." Sasori growled, stepping aside as Itachi carried her to the bed across the room from his own and laid her down, pulling the covers over her himself. She was unconscious now. Itachi didn't reply to the red-heads comment and only made his way silently to the door. However, he stopped, his hand on the handle. "Don't add to her bad condition." He reminded lowly before opening the door and exiting without another word.

Sasori snorted, sitting back down his bed. He glanced over lazily at the girl that was asleep across the room from him. "Stupid brat." He growled under his breath before going back to work on Hiruko.

[[A/N: AAHHAHAHAA. /slapped This chapter was really badly written. I'm so sorry OTL. I've been sick again and crap so things are not going in my favor as of late. Shdgksbhrgksbr but I hope the chapter was still readable nonetheless. It's about time this story started heating up, don't you think? 8D]]


	17. Everything's Just Fine

HOAP

~ 17 ~

"How are your wounds, Shizune?" Tsunade asked, her hands folded neatly on her desk. Shizune turned around, looking at her boss momentarily. "They're fine. The wound in my stomach is still touchy, but that's because the poison used was incredibly strong." She relayed, smiling sheepishly at her friend. "I see…It's been 4 months now, hasn't it?" Tsunade asked, trying to affirm sure she was right. Shizune's face darkened at that. She only nodded. "4 long months…" She whispered under her breath. Tsunade only frowned at that. Yes, it had been four months since Yukine Ayuzawa; Shizune's "adopted daughter" had been forced out of the village by the Akatsuki, a group of S class missing-nin criminals who had sought her out for her tracking skills.

"She'll be fine, Shizune." Tsunade said encouragingly. "That girl is stubborn as hell, and according to some of our Anbu that were there that night, they saw a girl fitting Yukine's description fleeing from the men." She said, grinning. Shizune smiled. "Perhaps she got away and is currently waiting for a chance to return without them knowing…" Shizune muttered, attempting to convince herself more than anyone else. She couldn't stand the thought of her supposed daughter being In any kind of pain. Over the years they had all spent together on the road before Tsunade had agreed to become Hokage, the three had become remarkably close. So losing each other was incredibly hard on both girls. She smiled hopefully. "You're right; She'll definitely be okay." She said to Tsunade before getting back to work.

A young girl of five sat on a bench outside of the Hokage building in Konohagakure. She was wearing a dirty white dress that was caked with dried blood and a bit of mud; her cheeks were tear-stained and her face was gaunt as if she hadn't eaten a decent meal in about three weeks. She had been brought to this strange village shortly after the demise of her own village about two weeks prior.

The young girl looked around, her matted shoulder-length hair swaying slightly as she did so. This village was huge, at least twice as big as Tsukigakure; her home-town. She took a glance around nervously, unsure of what was in store for her. "They might be working with _those_ people…" She thought anxiously to herself. And soon, after about ten minutes; she had convinced herself that she needed to leave the over-sized village as quickly and as sneakily as she could. The mal-nourished girl stood up, using all of the energy she had to flee from the bench where she had been told to wait about thirty minutes prior to her panic setting in. As she ran down the winding paths that lead through the village, she began to run rapidly out of breath. She was soon forced to stop just outside a playground. She took in a painful mouthful of air, trying to gather up more strength. She had to find the entrance quickly before the Anbu men came back for her. However, just as she was preparing to run again, she heard footsteps just behind her. Her eyes widened and she swallowed hard, slowly turning on her heel to see who it was. Soon, her eyes were met with the curious stares of an older boy, and his younger brother who was clinging onto him.

"Are you oka-" The older boy started, only to be cut off by Yukine's eyes widening, fear gripping her chest as she stepped back. She shook her head furiously at the boy before turning and attempting to flee. "Wait!" The older boy called, reaching out for her as she fled off into the distance. He sighed and looked down at his brother whose eyes were still fixed on where the girl had fled to. "Should we follow her, Big brother?" the young boy asked in an innocent child-like voice. "No, Sasuke. The sun is going down, we'd better get home. Mom and Dad will be worried." The older boy said, patting his brother's head as they turned reluctantly away from the where the girl had gone. They could only wonder why she had run away with such terror in her eyes as they left for home.

Even now as the girl passed through the huge gates that lead outside of Konoha she was still running with all her might. She fled into the nearby woods and began to make her way as best as she could through the thick brush. She sighed, ignoring the intense rumbling of her stomach as she tumbled through the thick patch of woods. "If I can get out of this forest…I'll be fine." She murmured to herself, her eyes half-lidded as she battled the vines and pine-needles the crunched and wrapped around her bare feet as she passed by. After a few hours, when the light had all but completely faded from view and the forest was eerily dark, the young girl noticed the trees had begun to thin out. She was nearing the end of the forest. However, it was late by that time and she decided it would be best to rest. The emaciated girl laid down weakly, letting sleep take her aching body away for the night.

The next morning, the fragile girl woke to the sun peaking through the trees, a few stray rays hitting her directly in the eyes. She groaned, rolling over against the tree she had fallen asleep against the night before. After about ten minutes of trying to gather enough energy to get up, the small girl stood wearily on her feet, beginning her journey once more.

It had been almost two weeks now since the emaciated girl had begun travelling around the Ninja country alone. She had been sustaining herself with small amounts of food handed to her by pitying shop-keepers in any small villages or towns that she passed as well as housing for a night or two. Honestly, she didn't really know what she was doing, or where she was going, but something inside her kept willing her onward. Almost as if something inside her knew that there was something good at the end of this hellish nightmare. She sighed, looking up at the lights glistening against the sun-setting sky around her. It was December now, and the air was crisp. It was almost Christmas time. "Maybe I should stop for the night. It's too cold to sleep outside…" She thought aloud, pulling out her wallet. She had a bit of travelling money given to her by a woman who owned a bakery about two villages back whom she had taken an odd job from in exchange for shelter and food for a few days.

With a bit of hesitation, the young girl started to look around for a hotel that was open. However, that search was short lived as she bumped into someone roughly, causing her to fall to the ground. "Hey watch it kid!" A tall blonde woman who wore her hair in long pig-tails that went down her back growled, looking more than a little grumpy. "Tsunade-san!" a young girl of about fourteen snapped, looking concerned as she knelt down to the weak girl who was fighting to get herself back into a standing position. "Are you alright?" she asked, her short dark hair framing her face. The little girl on stood, nodding her head. "I'm fine." She muttered, shooting a cold-hearted glare at the grumpy blonde. "Where are your parents?" The black haired girl asked. "I don't…" The mal-nourished child swallowed hard. "Have any anymore.." She whispered, doing her best not to cry. She still hadn't quite gotten over her loss.

The two women stopped and stared at the little girl then. "I see…I'm so sorry.." The black haired girl began, flashing the blonde woman a glance. They seemed to be having a silent conversation the girl in question could not quite discern. And after about four minutes of straight silence, the black haired girl smiled. "My name's Shizune, and that's Tsunade-san. We were wondering, if you don't have anybody to stay with, how about you come travelling with us?" Shizune asked, smiling down at her. The small girl looked surprised at the offer. Somebody actually wanted to take her in and adopt her as their own…

After a moment of hesitation, she swallowed hard, nodding hesitantly. "Great. You look a little skinny too…maybe we can try and fatten you up along the way, eh?" Shizune offered with a smile. The little girl then nodded eagerly. "Oh right, brat. What's your name?" The blonde woman asked, finally contributing to the conversation. All was silent for awhile before the young girl answered. "Yukine…Yukine Ayuzawa." She said with confidence. "Glad to have you on-board, Yuu-chan." Shizune winked, offering her hand to the small girl. Yukine took it, beaming and tears filled her eyes. "Thank you.." She whispered. The two women looked slightly surprised at that, but that wore off quickly as they all smiled at each other and began to walk down the path of the village together, headed for a place to crash for the night.

"She'll definitely come back to us." Shizune smiled to herself. "Definitely."

[[A/N: Ahahaha. PROCRASTINATIOOOOOON. Holy crap, I'm so sorry this chapter was so much short than the others, and not only that it was a flash-back chapter. Dsjfbhgsjekbg But, I figured y'all would like to see how Shizune and Tsunade were holding up. 8D Also, it was written in the previous story and is a big part of the plot soooo you were stuck with it anyways. Again, sorry this one was so short and you had to wait so long for it. I've been really busy. But it's summer now, so we've got time to pull out ALL DA CHAPTERS. 8DD See you guys next time in Chapter 18!]]


	18. Rise And Shine!

HOAP

~ 18 ~

Her eyes fluttered open with a start. Yukine gasped for air, clutching the bed sheets as her vision came into focus. She was staring up at a ceiling, her body dripping with sweat as she panted heavily. "….Dammit.." She hissed harshly, trying to calm down her racing heart as she sat up in bed, rubbing at the sleep in her eyes. "Fucking nightmares…" She grumbled, anger and anxiety flowing through her veins. Eventually though, she managed to calm down enough to look around the room she was in. 'Eh…? This isn't my room..' She thought to herself as she sat perched on her bed, looking to and fro. She noticed that there was a second bed across from hers in a corner, as well as what looked to be a desk and work bench at the front of the room too. "Where the hell am I…?" She asked herself, still mildly confused about her whole situation. And then, the memories hit her like a freight train. The five months of running, the three weeks of torture, and most importantly; her plan. She bit her bottom lip, chewing on it as she began to contemplate her next move. She glanced around the room, and soon spotted her clean clothes folded with a note laying on top of them.

Picking the note up with a bit of caution, the young brunette unfolded the small paper that read one simple sentence: "Please clean up and come out to the main room. You can't miss it." In small, elegant print. Yukine inspected the note carefully. It appeared to have been written by a woman, as the print was elegant, and steady. Though of course, it was not to say that man couldn't write like that, it was just that most didn't. Yukine gave a sigh, taking one last glance around the room. She soon spotted two doors that appeared to be right next to one another. "Maybe…one of those is the bathroom.." She thought to herself, wandering toward the two mysterious doors. And upon opening the first one, the small ninja let out a scream, falling to the floor as she kicked the door closed. "WHAT THE HELL!" She shouted loudly, a look of terror on her face as she stared at the now closed door. "WHO PUTS FUCKING DOLLS IN A CLOSET LIKE THAT?!" She snapped, breathing heavily. Suddenly there was a knock at the door, startling the girl even further as she flattened herself to the floor.

"What is going on in here, u-…" A blonde man trailed off as he opened the door to see Yukine flattened to the ground, awake, terrified, and obviously feeling threatened. "I see you've woken up, un." He commented awkwardly. "…D-Did you d-d-do that?" She demanded, pointing to the closet. "Eh? What's wrong with the closet, un?" The blonde asked, looking curious as he stepped into the room, making his way toward the closet. "W-Wait! I wouldn't open tha-!" She was cut off by the rough creaking of the closet door opening. "Don't over-react, un. It's just a clo—HOLY SHIT. WHAT THE FUCK!" The blonde screeched, slamming the door closed with all his might and stepping back. "WHO FUCKING DOES THAT?!" He cried out, clutching his chest. "THAT'S WHAT I SAID!" Yukine cried out, standing up and backing away from the closet. "What in gods name is all that racket, are you beating the girl in her sleep, Deidara?" A familiar voice rang out as the door opened once more to reveal a certain blue-skinned man in the doorway.

"Eh? Oh, Ayuzawa-san is awake. I thought that feminine scream came from you, Blondie." The blue man grinned. "That's not funny, un!" The man known as Deidara snapped. "Heheheh. What were you two girls screaming about anyways?" He asked. "I'M A MAN, UN! DAMN." Deidara shouted. Yukine sighed, looking drained already. With a disgusted face, she pointed to the closet. "Whoever lives in this room with me is a freak." She said with a terrified tone in her voice. Kisame burst into laughter at that. "AHAHHAA. Wait until Sasori hears you say that to his face! FFFT." Kisame belted, unable to control himself. After a few minutes of uncontrollable laughter, the blue swordsman managed to calm down a bit and adjusted himself. "So what's the big issue, now?" He asked.

"Danna has a scary secret." Deidara said, shivering a bit. "He's got terror in his closet." Yukine grumbled, looking like she'd just seen the devil himself. "Ffft, don't be scaredy-cats. Jesus, nothing in this little Gingie's closet could be so bad that-" Kisame stopped as he opened the closet. ". . ." And right after opening it, he closed it, and proceeded to shake. "That might just top Hidan's closet…" He grunted. "Why the fuck is everyone screaming like wild bitches in here?!" Another, more angry voice snapped, entering the room with a Neon-eyed man right behind him. "Oh hey, and speaking of a wild bitch, I see ours is awake." The man with the white, slicked back hair grinned. Yukine glared at him. "The only wild bitch I see in this room is you." She retorted, glaring at him. "Oh yeah? Then what's with the screamin', Banshee?" He snickered. Yukine only pointed to the closet. "Go…see for yourself." She said, unable to fight a grin despite knowing the terror behind the dark door.

Hidan scoffed, heading right up to the door. "Puppet slut's closet? Heh. Probably full of Barbie or somethin', watch-." And like everyone else, Hidan was stopped in his tracks. All was dead silent for a moment before he shut the door. "…Fuck my life." He growled, and walked away from the closet. "Not so tough now are we, un?" Deidara snickered. "You screamed like a little bitch, so don't even!" Hidan snapped right back. "Ahem. Only bitch in here is you…" Yukine murmured, although Hidan caught it. "Hey, slut. Why don't you put some pants on before you call us names, eh?!" The white-haired nin spat with a smirk. Yukine looked confused. "Pants? I'm wearing pants you dolt-….Oh wait." She stopped, looking down at herself. She was wearing a slightly-oversized cotton t-shirt and under-garments. "…" The room went silent as everyone's eyes landed on the young girl. "Tsuki no Haretsu." She said simply, preforming one simple hand-sign that sent a blue-white crescent-shaped burst right at the man, slinging them out of the room. "Don't look at me that way." She snapped, slamming the door closed on them and locking it. And after that, she chose the next door and took her shower.

Yukine had been orphaned at a very young age, and she had also lost her home at the same time too. However, despite the death of her village, she had been dead-set on keeping it's traditions and techniques alive. During one of her conversations with "The Voice", it had been made clear that she must save any technical scrolls the village had left in the Tsukikage's building. Upon doing so she had kept them with her most of her journeys and learned them, attempting to commit them all to memory in an ordained effort to keep her villages memory alive. And in fact, to this day she was still trying to reach that goal.

Soon, Yukine had finished her shower, gotten out, and gotten dressed. After brushing out her hair she decided to finish following the notes directions. Her next task was to find the main room now. However, Yukine soon found that was easier said than done, as the Akatsuki base appeared to be just one big, giant, dark maze. She sighed, "So much for 'You can't miss it.'." She griped. "Guess I'll just have to find a chakra source and follow it…" She grumbled, closing her eyes and activating her tracking ability with a single hand sign. Suddenly, and over-powering amount of Chakra hit her. "Whoa…That's some strong flow…" She thought to herself. "Perhaps it's just a bunch of them gathered in that room…?" She asked herself, slowly beginning to make her way anxiously toward the source. She was both curious and nervous to see where and what the chakra was coming from.

After about five minutes, the young Getsu-nin eventually reached a bend in the dark, dank hall that had endlessly stretched before her just a few heart-beats ago. "This should be it…" She murmured, peeking timidly around the corner to see the entrance to a large room before. It appeared that many people were sitting in it. "So it wasn't just one person.." She sighed, feeling her anxiety grow. What if the entire band of Akatsuki pigs were in there?! What would she do, say, or even think when she stepped out of her safe spot in the shadows? All of these thoughts were running through the young girls head at lightning speed. She had no idea how to react to her situation anymore. Was she really strong enough or clever enough to carry out her plan of using the very people attempting to use her? Yukine bit her lip nervously. She just wasn't sure about this.

"Nervous?" A voice from behind her said with a hint of amusement in their tone. This startled Yukine, causing her to jump as she turned around. "What the h—O-Oh…It's just you…" She growled. "Oh, what's with that sour face? You don't seem too happy about seeing an old comrade." The blue-skinned man said with a toothy grin. Yukine scoffed. "We had a similar interest. Don't go thinking I am—or was your ally by any means." She said with a huff. "Then why did you stay after I undid the cuffs?" He asked with a smirk. "Because you're an idiot and it would just be too easy to fool you. So I stayed because I knew I could get away anyway." She growled. "Oh, really? I think you took a liking to me despite your tough act, kid." Kisame grinned. "Keep dreamin', Whale-food." She snapped. "Age is but a number." He said, a hint of an old man impersonation playing on his tone. Yukine glared at him, hiding her amusement. "Aw, what? Not funny anymore?" He teased. "Oh hush up, you wall of sea-food!" She griped. "Alright, alright. Anyways, it's time for you to meet your _new_ team-mates." The fish-man said with a grin. "Come on, kid. I'll introduce you." He said, dragging her toward the main room. The show was about to begin.

[[A/N: BLRGHLLGHRBRHGHL;. /sobbing grotesquely. Aghhhh. This chapter was so short, and it took me FOREVER to complete. ;v; I'm so sorry to any of you who actually like this story. Summer's just been a real hoe. I promise to keep doing my best to update though! I'm also REALLY sorry that the damn thing was this short. Not even four pages this time. D: I've been having a bit of writer's block I guess. Anyways, I do have news! TURNS OUT TSUKIGAKURE IS NOT THE OFFICIAL NAME OF THE VILLAGE HIDDEN UNDER THE MOON. LOL. /shot. The official name of the village is actually _Getsugakure_. Didn't even know the correct name of where my OC comes from. Ain't I a winner? Anyways, I'll fix everything I can about Tsukigakure mentioned in the chapters before this. I'm sorry I'm so lame. /dies now. Anyways, if you still find this fanfiction interesting and want to continue reading it by some God-sent miracle, I'll see you all next time in Chapter 19 when Yukine meets her new team-mates and learns just what the Akatsuki is really about! I hope you look forward to it!]]


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